Realizations
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: Can a car accident bring out the feelings you didn't know you had for someone? Ask Clark Kent. Chlark. Important Authors Note inside! Read for more info!
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Ok Hello….This is my first Smallville fic….I just recently became a Smallville addict and I ONLY just finished Season 3 which I rented from the library…right now I am in search of season 4. SO! This Story will not have anything in the later seasons….It will take place around the season 2 time. This is a Clark/Chloe…because I think they are a wonderful couple and I am getting annoyed by the constant on/off thing between Clark and Lana…Clark…get the picture you and Lana don't belong together!! If you would actually try something with Chloe and not think about Lana every 2 seconds something might actually work…GEESH! I'm sorry…ranting my frustrations at you guys. Here are my shipping views: Clark/Chloe, Lana/Lex (seeing them married in the beginning of the 7****th**** season –which I just started watching too cuz I didn't see the 6****th**** season where I think they got married in- and seeing the airport scene at the end of season 3 its obvious Lex has feelings for Lana and possible vice versa.) But there will be no lex/lana because I don't think I can pull off Lex's character yet…although Lex is one of my favorite characters in Smallville…and that pisses me off because he goes on to being Clark's greatest enemy…and he says how he never wants to become his father…And another reason why I don't like clark/lana I don't think Lana could handle Clark's secret…seeing how so many people have tried to hurt her because they were affected by the meteor rocks…knowing that Clark came down during that time…and had all those powers…don't think she would handle it well…Chloe on the other hand…I think would be fine with it. I can't see her telling anyone…even being the reporter she is. Like Lois…Lois would never tell anyone Clark was Superman even though she was the greatest reporter….sorry rambling…I know you just want to read it now…Please tell me what you think and if I should continue…**

**Chapter 1: **

Martha Kent was on her way home from a long day at Lionel Luthor's. Usually Lionel would be at Lex's but he had a special meeting in Metropolis and he insisted that Martha come along.

Jonathan of course wasn't too happy about the idea of Martha being alone with Lionel Luthor for just about the whole day. Martha explained that it wasn't that often that Lionel had to stay late in Metropolis. "And he says I've been the best employee he's ever had." Martha beamed at Jonathan but he just rolled his eyes. Clark only smiled and told her they'd miss her for the day.

She suddenly saw flashing red lights in front of her and drove more slowly to see what was going on. It was late and no one else was on the road so the road was exactly blocked but she decided to stop anyway.

She pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. She took the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. She rushed over to the sight and looked around. There was a car off the side of the road, some coming from the hood. There was a cop questioning a man who seemed very fidgety and shook up.

On the other side of the road there was a car flipped over and pretty smashed up. There were paramedics and firemen trying to get the driver out of the car. She rushed over to a cop. "What happened?" She raised her voice a bit over the noise at the site. The cop seemed startled and he turned to look at her. He was a younger man with brown eyes and dark hair. He had sort of a nervous expression on his face but it quickly disappeared and his face became stern.

"I'm not too sure yet…" his voice was also raised… "Officer Brown is questioning one of the drivers. The driver of the other car is being helped out now….there was no passengers in either car..."

Martha watched the scene quietly. All the cops were running around and on their communicators talking with the station.

The paramedics finally got the other driver out of the car and onto a gurney. Martha saw she was a young woman though how young she wasn't entirely sure. She was covered in blood and dirt and soot. Then she did a double take. Her eyes widened and she rushed over there… "Oh my god…"

Another cop that was near looked at her, "You know this girl?"

Martha nodded solemnly, "Yes, she's my son's friend." Her voice was distant.

"We could not find any information on her…Do you mind answering some questions?"

Martha shook her head and watched as they loaded the gurney into the ambulance and the truck drove away blaring its sirens.

* * *

Martha walked in the front door and saw Jonathan at the table. At the sound of the door, Jonathan turned his head. The stern look on his face turned soft when he saw the look on his wife's face, "Martha? What's wrong?"

She looked around absently, "Where's Clark?"

"At the Talon with Lana…" he stood up slowly… "Martha? What happened?" he pressed her.

She opened her mouth to explain but the door suddenly opened and Clark walked in with a smile on. But it soon faded when he saw the concerned look on his mother's face. "Mom?"

Martha looked at her son's face and covered her mouth to keep a sob from escaping.

Jonathan immediately thought the worst and anger flashed on his features… "Does Lionel know about Clark?" Clark looked at his father and then at his mother, worry etched on his face. Martha shook her head. "Did Lionel hurt you? Lex?"

Martha once again shook her head, "This has nothing to do with the Luthor's Jonathan." She sighed as she looked between her husband and her son. "Then what is it?" Clark's voice came to her ears. She looked directly at Clark. "Oh Clark…" she took a deep breathe knowing this would break him. Chloe was his best friend and she knew that although Clark seemed to be head over heels for Lana he did have some feelings for the blonde haired reporter.

"When I was coming home there was a car accident."

"Are you alright?" Jonathan asked and she nodded, "I'm fine…I wasn't involved. One car was just pulled off to the side with minor damages. The driver was fine- he just seemed a bit shook up. But the other car…" she once again looked at her son and found it hard to continue, "was totaled."

Clark saw where she was going with this… "Mom, who was in the car?"

She swallowed hard and took a deep breathe, "Chloe."

She closed her eyes and turned her head. When she reopened them she was looking at Jonathan who had a shocked expression on his face. His eyes caught hers and then his eyes drifted off to the side. She followed his line of vision to Clark. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face seemed to be frozen.

"Is she alright?" Jonathan asked knowing that was the question on Clark's mind.

Martha once again sighed, "I don't know…she looked pretty bad."

Clark suddenly rose to his feet and both his parents looked at him in surprise… "I have to see her!" He started to head towards the door when he heard his father's voice, "Clark!"

Clark stopped where he was and took a breath. He turned to look at them. "They will not let you in there."

Clark started to protest, "But…"

Jonathan shook his head, "She's probably in surgery and even if she was out only immediate family would be allowed in." Clark looked at the floor and let out a breath. Jonathan walked over to his son and placed a hand on Clark's shoulder. "I know you want to see how she is son, but it will have to wait until morning."

Clark looked to his mother and she gave him a sympathetic look, "Your father is right Clark, I'm sorry." Clark looked out the window and stood there silently for a few moments. "I'm going out to the loft," He muttered just loud enough for his parents to hear. Jonathan and Martha looked at each other with a similar look on both their faces. They both felt bad for Clark. It's not easy to see a friend hurt.

Clark slowly made his way to the loft. This is the one of the time that he didn't feel like using his super speed. As much as he wanted to get away fast his legs wouldn't seem to let him. All he could think about was how Chloe was in the hospital and how he couldn't do anything to stop it. Chloe was in the hospital bleeding, unconscious and –he gulped at the thought- dying and he was with Lana. Once again Lana Lang took up all his time and because of that Chloe was in the hospital. He never thought that spending time with Lana could end in something bad…it was Lana! How could something go wrong? 'It's Smallville…' he reminded himself… 'Something is always happening here.'

Although many things have happened to his friends he was always there to save them. But now, when Chloe needed him the most, he was off spending as much time as he could with his crush.

He could just imagine Chloe's face as she saw the headlights coming toward her. He should have been there. He should have stepped in between the two cars and stopped the speeding car as Chloe braked behind him. He should have glared at the other drive in the car and turned to Chloe in her car, who after getting over the shock of almost being in a car accident, would rush out of the car and throw her arms around him repeating a "Thank you" over and over again. But no, he was with Lana, watching her close up the Talon for the night and having small talk.

Clark through himself down on the couch he had up in the loft and placed his hands over his eyes. He gripped his hair with his fingers. He was so concentrated on his thoughts he didn't hear someone's footsteps on the stairs.

He jumped when he felt a hand rested on his knee. He removed his hands from his face and saw his mother standing there with a sad smile on her face. He sat up slowly never taking his eyes off her. She sat down beside him once there was room. "Clark…I know you're upset."

Clark looked down to the wooden floor, "I feel so guilty." Martha looked at him with confusion and shock, "Clark, you have no reason to feel guilty. This was not your fault." 'At least I hope not…'

Clark shook his head…"No…but I could have prevented it…" He sighed... "Chloe could by dying and I could have stopped it."

Martha put her hand on his shoulder gently, "Clark, what would you have done?"

Clark raised his shoulders and got to his feet, "I don't know…stopped the car that was coming speeding at her…Got her out of the car…Something, Anything!"

Martha reached out and grabbed her son's hand gently, "Clark, that would have been too dangerous…you would have exposed your secret."

Clark looked at her, "So! Mom, Chloe is my best friend. Pete knows! I can trust her mom and the other guy…well they'll think he was hallucinating."

"Clark…" She started… "She is a reporter. She has that 'Weird wall' of all the strange things that happen in Smallville. Don't you think she would want to put you up there?"

Clark shook his head, "No mom, Chloe would never put me on the Wall of Weird! When she was affected by the parasite in the caves she found out about me but with the surgery she forgot about it. But she wouldn't tell anyone mom! So what if she's a reporter? More importantly, she's my friend. And I trust her!" He lowered his tone, "Besides I would risk my secret any day to save you, dad, Pete, Chloe, Lana and even Lex! I already risked that one when we first met!" Martha stood up slowly, she had a serious expression on her face, "Clark, I know you want your friend's to know about you but people aren't always as trustworthy as they seem. Pete has been your best friend since you two were little. He is like your brother. Out of anyone knowing your secret, I'm glad it's him."

Clark slapped the side of his legs in frustration, "But what's the point of having these abilities if I can't use them to save people I care about!"

Martha sighed, "Chloe is a fighter…she'll pull through Clark."

Clark turned to look out the window, "I still should have done something."

She looked down at the floor and they both were silent for a few moments. Finally Martha stood up, "Get some sleep Clark." She turned and disappeared down the stairs. Clark watched his mother walk out of the barn and across the yard into the house. Clark stayed in one spot and waited until the lights went off downstairs then he retreated back to the couch. He laid on his side throwing the blue blanket over him. He stared at the opposite wall through the darkness for what seemed like hours until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Pete knocked on the door to the Kent household. After a few minutes of silence, Martha opened the door and smiled warmly, "Good morning Pete," Pete smiled and nodded a bit, "Mornin' Mrs. Kent." He glanced over Martha's shoulder and expected Clark to appear behind her but he never did. "Please, come on in Pete." Martha stepped aside for Pete to pass and he entered the house.

"So, I heard about Chloe," Pete said as they walked into the kitchen. Martha looked up from her place at the counter, "Do you know how she's doing?"

Martha shook her head, "I haven't heard anything." She sighed as she wiped her hands on her apron, "Clark has been in the loft all night."

"May I go to see him?" he asked and she shrugged, "I don't know if he's awake but you can go."

Pete smiled a bit and headed out the door. He made his way over to the barn and entered the wooden building and found it was quiet. He climbed up the steps and once he got to the top saw that Clark was asleep. He smirked as an evil thought popped into his head. He slowly approached the couch and looked down at Clark for a few moments.

"Hey Clark!" He yelled suddenly and Clark's eyes snapped open and with super speed was up on his feet and looking around frantically. Pete started to laugh at his friend's reaction. Clark turned his head to look at Pete and once he saw there was no danger, relaxed and gave Pete an exasperated look, "Pete!"

Pete was still laughing, "Sorry Clark…I couldn't resist."

Clark groaned and ran his hand through his thick hair, "I was having a good dream." He huphed and Pete's laughter slowly died down. "You can dream?"

Clark furrowed his brow, "Of course I can dream." Pete noted a hint of offence in his voice, "Sorry man, I'm still trying to figure you out." Pete soon realized that that was also the wrong thing to say. "Clark…" He started to apologize…

"Figure me out? You make me seem like I'm so complicated! The only different thing about me is that I have these super human abilities!" Pete sighed, "I know Clark, I'm sorry for saying that…"

Clark's facial features softened, "No Pete, I know this must be confusing for you. I know you have questions, even I have questions. I'm sorry for reacting that way…I guess the whole thing with Chloe is getting to me." Pete smiled in understanding, "Well I know that where you're from is a touchy subject for you. I shouldn't have brought it up." Clark gave Pete a small smile, "You're a good friend Pete."

Pete nodded and put his arm around Clark's shoulders, "Clark Kent, My Kryptonian best friend." Clark grinned and shoved Pete off him. Pete laughed and after a few moments their smiled slowly died. Thoughts of Chloe in the hospital returned to Clark's mind. As if he read his mind, Pete said, "I can't believe Chloe's in the hospital." Clark nodded, "I know…"

Pete cocked his head to the side, "You blame yourself don't you?"

Clark looked over to his friend…"I know it's not my fault…but I feel like I could have done something to prevent it…"

Pete gave him a look, "Clark…you can't be in two places at once…I know you have your powers but…you're a 16 year old farm boy from Smallville not…." Pete paused a minute trying to think of a right name… "…not…superman."

Clark let out a sigh, "I know…but I would feel so much better if I knew how Chloe was doing. I hate just not knowing anything."

Pete was about to respond when Martha appeared on the stairwell, "Clark," She started, "It's Chloe's father." Clark tried to read his mother's expression and to his relief there were no traces of any sadness. He went over and took the phone from her hand and placed it to his ear, "Hello?"

"_Clark?"_ Mr. Sullivan's voice came to his ear.

"Yes…How's Chloe?" Clark asked quickly. He couldn't stand the anticipation any longer.

"_Well, she was out of surgery last night, the doctors wanted to observe her over night. The surgery was a success and all problems are fixed except the minor cuts and bruises that need to heal on their own. The one thing that I'm worried about is that her vitals haven't changed since she came out of surgery…Not that her vitals are bad…they are sort of…average but they can get better and so far they haven't." _

Clark let all the information sink in and nodded quietly. Then he realized that he was on the phone and Mr. Sullivan couldn't see him nod. "Oh ok…Well…thank you for calling me to let me know."

"_You're welcome, but there is something else I need to tell you."_

"What is it?" Clark asked feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"_Nothing bad Clark," _Clark let out a breath in relief, _"I know that only immediate family is allowed in to visit but I give you permission to come in anytime to see her." _

Clark was shocked, "Really, why?"

"_Because…When Chloe wakes up…you're going to be the one she'll want to see." _Clark felt heat rise to his cheeks and he saw out of the corner of his eye a smirk on Pete's face. "Thank you, Mr. Sullivan, I really appreciate it."

"_You're a good kid, Clark…Chloe's lucky to have you as a friend."_

Guilt once again wracked through his brain, 'How lucky could I be? I couldn't even save her…' "Thanks," Was his only reply.

"_Goodbye Clark."_

"Goodbye Mr. Sullivan."

Clark hung up the phone and handed it back to his mother. "What did he say Clark?" she asked.

"He's allowing me to go see Chloe anytime I want." Clark explained. He still felt honored that Mr. Sullivan would allow him and not anyone else to see her. "That's great! Do you want to go see her now? I could give you a ride."

Clark looked at her for a moment and then smirked, "I think I have a much faster way to get there Mom." Martha smiled, "Right…but just be careful son, you never know who might see you."

Clark nodded smiling lightly at his mother's concern for him, "Thanks Mom." He looked over at Pete. "I'll call later to let you know." Pete nodded and with a flash, Clark disappeared from sight.

"I swear, I will never get used to that." Pete shook his head and turned to Martha. She smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hi All! I was really glad to see the reviews for this story! HUGE thanks to Cytstagepenguin for giving me the website for all the SV episodes. That made me extremely happy. So thanks again!! **_

_**This chapter is rather short but it's just Clark's visit to the hospital. So I hope you enjoy and please Review!!**_

* * *

_**Chapter 2: **_

"Hi, I'm looking for a Chloe Sullivan." The nurse in the booth looked away from her computer screen and up to the boy standing outside the window.

"When was she admitted?" She asked.

"Last night." He replied. She turned in her swivel chair to look at the list of newly admitted patients. She scrolled down the list with her finger until she found Chloe's name. "Oh, I'm sorry son. The doctors are not permitting any visitors." She turned back to the computer.

"Her father just called me. He's allowing me permission to see her." The nurse looked up at him. The poor boy looked desperate. She sighed and checked the list again and found there was a note. "What's your name, son?"

"Clark Kent." And there it was. She nodded at him, "Well your name is there. She's in room 315." A smile lit up the boy's face and he thanked her as he rushed out of the waiting room. The nurse smiled a bit and turned once again back to the computer, 'Must be her boyfriend…How cute.'

Clark moved as fast as he could without using super speed to get to Chloe's room. He was careful not to bump into any nurses, doctors or even patients in the hall.

He finally reached Chloe's room and noticed the door was closed and Mr. Sullivan was talking to the doctor. He couldn't see Chloe that well from the angle he was in. He watched silently until the two men were done talking. Mr. Sullivan turned his head and caught sight of Clark and nodded towards him. He made a motion towards the doctor and went to open the door. Clark moved toward the door and gave a bit of a smiled when Mr. Sullivan opened the door. "That was fast." Clark shrugged, "I wanted to see how she is."

Chloe's father smiled sadly and stepped aside to let Clark in. The doctor looked over the young man who entered the room a bit hesitantly. Mr. Sullivan caught the look and explained, "Dr. Roberts, this is Clark Kent, a good friend of my daughters." The doctor nodded, "Very Well, he can stay." He then continued on talking.

Clark looked at Chloe the moment he entered the room. She had a dark circle around her right eye, a long cut along the left side of her face, her neck was red and she had various scratches scattered around her face. He knew that there were more but they were covered. He briefly heard Mr. Sullivan explain why he was here but he tuned them out as he approached the bed. He reached his hand out and gently brushed the blonde hair out of her face. He looked over to the heart monitor and watched the lines bounce up to show her pulse. The constant beep from the machine echoed in his head and seemed to be the only thing he heard. The thought of that beep flat lining truly scared him because it reminded him that everyone around him is human, that they are vulnerable, they can get hurt and that only reminded him that he's not human.

He took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "Clark." Clark lifted his head at the sound of his name.

"I'll give you some time alone with her." Clark nodded, "Thanks." Mr. Sullivan gave him a smile and he and the doctor left the room.

Clark turned his attention back to Chloe, "Uh…Hi Chloe." She remained motionless. "Man, I'd give anything to see your smile…I know that sounds extremely corny but seeing you like this just gets to me. Everyone is really worried about you; Pete came to see me today asking how you were. Your father seems to be handling it alright. But what do I know?"

He sighed and looked around the little white room, "I just want to say I'm sorry." He looked back at her, "I know if you were awake you would tell me that I have nothing to be sorry for, but I do. You were always a good friend to me Chloe, you always believed in me, when I didn't quite believe in myself. But I always ignored you and had all my attention on Lana. You always had feelings for me, sometimes I wonder why, but you always saw me; you always saw things Lana would and probably never will see. You are my best friend Chloe and I never saw you as anything different. I'm mad at myself that something this tragic had to happen to make me realize that maybe I do see you as something different.

"I had a really good time at the Spring Formal and despite what you think, it wasn't a pity date. I wanted to go with you Chloe. Somehow when we were dancing it felt right. I felt like I could be myself with you there in my arms. Of course I couldn't actually be myself in public." He gave a weak smile.

"There are a lot of things I want to tell you Chloe. My parents wouldn't be too pleased with me but I always thought you deserved to know. I know you probably can't hear me but…" He looked around to see if anyone was around that could hear him… "I'm not from around here Chloe. And by here, I don't mean Kansas…I mean Earth." He looked for any sign of reaction in her but found nothing. "I'm from a planet called Krypton; my 'real' name is Kal-El. I came down to Earth during the meteor shower. My parents found me in a cornfield and my space ship is in the storm cellar." He chuckled at how ridiculous that sounded but soon frowned knowing it was the truth. "I have these special abilities…sort of like people affected by the Meteor Rocks, which is also called Kryptonite and the only thing that can hurt me. I wanted you to know sooner but my parents are very strict about my…biology. And I'm very hesitant about it as well. If the wrong person over heard me, things wouldn't end too well. With all the crazy things that have happened in Smallville because of the Meteor Shower…If people knew I came down to Earth during that time…They'd probably treat me worse than the meteor infected people. Because…I'm not meteor infected…I'm not even human."

His lips curved up the slightest bit as he turned his head to the side and looked at her face, "But you would never do anything to hurt me, would you Chloe? No matter how hard you tried." He leaned back in his chair.

"You know, I could never get close to anyone because of my secret. Any relationship has to be based on truth and honesty…with me, well I can't be honest…it's too dangerous for me and anyone I care about.

"I've pictured telling you hundreds of times and now that I have, it's another weight lifted off my shoulders. I'm not scared of how you're going to react…you would accept me for who I am. I should have realized that sooner. I should have realized a lot of things sooner. I would give the excuse the 'I'm only human' but I'm not. Even though I'm not human my father tells me I'm the most humane person he knows-except for the super human powers but despite that…" He chuckled.

"I don't want you to think I'm some creepy alien who doesn't have feelings and just wants to take over the world. And I know you would never judge me like that."

He wanted to reach out and take her hand but knew that would probably hurt her. "Don't leave me Chloe…life wouldn't be the same without you."

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

_**7A/N: I am very pleased to see people like my story. I just started watching season 5 and I wanted to bang my head on something cuz Lana and Clark got back together….again. OBVIOUSLY something was wrong the last time you got together…Ok…so Clark lost his powers briefly…and he thought he could have a normal relationship with Lana….yea well THAT worked out well when he got his powers back. Now don't get me wrong…you may be thinking…wow she's a little uh…crazy about this…but no…Clark and Lana are a cute couple…they do look cute together…it just NEVER works…Clark…Clark…Clark…hey Clark….build a bridge and get over it….ok? There are other fish in the sea…(CHLARK!) or…maybe even Clois…but no worries!! This is definatly a CHLARK fic…no Clois…in fact Lois is probably not going to be in the story at all. OH and I just saw the weird Christmas episode where Lex got shot and had that weird dream…that made me happy!!! Lex would be such a good middle classmen…**_

_**SORRY! I do tend to rant in these authors notes…..and you guys don't want to hear it…I like to express my opinions in writing and…-pauses- I'm doing it again, aren't I?...again, I repeat, SORRY!**_

_**On with the story!!!!**_

_**Chapter 3: **_

Three days. Three whole days since Chloe got into the accident. Three days, Clark visited the hospital until either the doctors kicked him out or his parents wanted him home. Three days and Chloe was still unconscious.

Saturday, Clark spent just about the whole afternoon telling the unconscious Chloe about his gifts. Of course he would stop whenever the doctor or Mr. Sullivan came in.

Sunday, Clark came in as early as possible. Mr. Sullivan reported that Chloe had no changes…good or bad. Clark spent just about the whole day there. He told her that Lana and Pete were still worried about her. He told Chloe that Lana would be in a bit later to visit her. And sure enough, Lana was there around 6:00 after she closed up the Talon early. Lana brought a get well card and a balloon. Clark saw the gifts and smacked himself mentally, wondering why he didn't think of that. Lana laughed when she saw the expression on Clark's face as he looked at the balloon and the card.

"It's just a card and a balloon Clark; I think your company is the best gift anyone could receive."

Clark felt his heart flutter just a little, of course over the last few days, his crush, for lack of a better word, on Lana seemed to be diminishing and his feelings for Chloe, that he didn't even knew existed, grew more and more, that compliment made him feel important. Especially coming from Lana. He felt himself smile at the comment and Lana returned the smile.

After that Lana stayed with Clark in the hospital room until nine o'clock when they both headed home because school was the next day.

Monday, right after school, Clark rushed over to the hospital to see if there was any change. Mr. Sullivan explained that her vitals have gotten better and when Clark entered the room he noticed some of her cuts and bruises were partly healed and some of the color returned to her face. Clark asked how much longer she would be out and the doctor replied that it could be as little as a few hours, a few days or perhaps even up to two weeks more. Clark sat in the chair beside Chloe and did his homework there, looking up at her to check on her every so often.

During that time, for a break, he got up and went down to the hospital cafeteria to get something to eat. A few minutes after he left the room, a nurse came into the room and went over to change the fluid bags. After she finished with that, she cleaned up the room a little bit. She turned her head a bit and saw a pair of eyes staring at her. She jumped a little, "Oh, Miss. Sullivan! You're awake!"

Chloe looked around the room slowly. She didn't remember anything. How did she get into a hospital bed? She looked at the nurse, "What happened?"

The nurse took a step towards her, "Well dear, you got into a pretty bad car accident."

Suddenly it all came back to her. She stayed late at the Torch, she wanted to get the new issue out as soon as possible. She would have gotten out sooner but Pete had a date with some random girl she didn't remember the name of, and Clark, well he, once again, ditched her for Miss Lana Lang.

So, Chloe was once again all by herself at the torch. Clark, thankfully, got his article to her before taking off to see the love of his life. After she finished, she turned to the window and found that it was already dark. She spent hours in that office, and didn't even realize it got to be so late.

After she saved all her work, shut down her computer, and cleaned up the Torch office a bit, she headed out. She hurried out to her car, the school parking lot always scared her a bit, especially at night. Who knew when the next meteor freak might attack? She got into her car and immediately felt a sleepiness she didn't feel before. She shook her head to clear it and told her self to get home before she fell asleep.

She got onto the road and shook her head numerous times to keep from falling asleep. She looked down at the empty cup holder and wished that a cup of coffee would just magically appear there. She yawned as she drove down the dark and lonely road.

She closed her eyes just for a moment, but that was just a moment too long. Her eyes snapped open when she heard a loud horn. She saw two headlights coming straight at her and before she could pull away the car crashed right into hers head on. She saw out of the corner of her eye the other car swerve and she felt like her world was spinning in circles and that was the last thing she remembered before the world turned black around her.

"You have a pretty nice boyfriend, Miss Sullivan." The nurse stated. She wanted to change the subject, she saw how uncomfortable the talk of the crash made the girl.

Chloe looked up at the nurse, "B…Boyfriend?"

The nurse nodded and smiled, "Well yes, he's come everyday to visit you. Wouldn't leave your side until the doctors kicked him out."

Chloe furrowed her brow, "I don't have a boyfriend…"

"No?" The nurse seemed surprised, "Well, then you have one good friend there Miss Sullivan. He cares about you a lot."

Chloe felt something flutter in her stomach. "What does he look like? The guy who visits me?"

The nurse looked up at the ceiling a minute then looked back at Chloe, "Well, he's tall, dark hair, blue eyes, likes to wear plaid…"

"Clark…" Chloe muttered and her smile grew. The nurse smiled. "He just went down to the cafeteria I believe…those are his books." The nurse pointed over to the little table beside Chloe's bed. Chloe turned her head and saw the open text book and Clark's jacket next to it. She wanted to reach over and grab it, cuddle it to her, never let it go. But she didn't have the strength…and she didn't think Clark would appreciate her stealing his favorite jacket. She smiled once more and slowly drifted off back to sleep, with nothing but the handsome, young farm boy on her mind.

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Clark came back a half an hour later. He wasn't really that hungry when he went down there, he was just starting to get uncomfortable in that seat. But when he started to eat, he couldn't stop until he was full. He tended to do that a lot. 'Must be some weird Kryptonian thing…' he thought to himself. Everything that was not normal with him he blamed it on his heritage. He knew nothing of his home world. He didn't know their customs, how long they lived, what they ate, how long a day was, how they dressed. All he knew was that the planet's name was krypton, the meteor rock that can kill him is called kryptonite, his fathers name is Jor-El and his name is Kal-El. Part of him wanted to know more about Krypton, but part of him just wanted to be as normal as he can possibly be.

He entered the room and sat himself down on the chair and grabbed his notebook from the table. He looked over at Chloe for any signs of improvement. He didn't see any.

He finished his history homework and put it away. He took out his English notebook and sighed when he saw the worksheet in front of him. He looked over at Chloe, "You would have enjoyed today's English class. I can only imagine what you would have said." In class that day, they read an article about the universe and the class got into a whole discussion on life on other planets. Of course, it made Clark completely uncomfortable. There were times when he felt like speaking out in defense of himself. One immature kid gave the cliché, green, scaly, creepy looking description of aliens; and that all they want to do is take over the Earth or destroy it. But not many kids defend aliens, for the simple fact that the very thought of something extra terrestrial scared the daylights out of people. So, he couldn't say anything. The teacher assigned a worksheet with questions about live on other planets.

"'Do you believe in life on other planets?' Yea, considering I am from another planet." He wrote down that he did. "'What do you think they look like?' Well, they look like Kansas Farm boys." He wrote that he thought they looked remotely similar to humans.

"'What would the planet be called?'" He paused at that question. Of course, he knew an answer for the question, he just wasn't sure if he should put it in writing. The other kids might put down 'Gorflack' or something. But what would they think of a planet called 'Krypton'?

"Should I risk that Chloe?" He asked his unconscious friend. Of course, she didn't respond. He glanced back down at the paper. He chewed on the top of his pen in contemplation of the answer. Putting down the name of his planet is risking his secret getting revealed. But it was just a homework assignment.

He took the pen out of his mouth and wrote 'krypton' down in the blank space. " 'Do they have their own language?' I suppose so, I know they have a written language…" He wrote down that their written language used symbols like hieroglyphics. " 'What would their people be like?' hmm…they have advanced technology that has not yet been invented on Earth. 'Give an example of what their names would be.' What is this an interview?"

He was so into his work he didn't notice that Chloe to awaken next to him. She heard his voice as she started to come out of her sleep and smiled only slightly. She turned her head so she could see his face and was quite amused to see him talking to himself.

"What do they want me to do?" Clark continued, "Go up to the front of the classroom and say, 'Hi, my name is Kal-El of Krypton…Yes, I am an alien.'"

What?

"Clark?"

Clark jumped and practically flew out of his seat. After a second he looked to Chloe and saw her blue eyes staring back at him. "Chloe!" A large grin spread across his face and he leaned over the bed and gave her a hug the best he could. He smiled as he looked down at her. "You're awake."

"Apparently." Chloe remarked and felt her heart flutter when Clark's smile grew.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Chloe shrugged lightly, "I feel alright. Kind of tired, Sore, Weak, kind of like I've been hit by a car," She smirked. Clark cocked his head to the side.

"Well, you must be getting better. You're back to your witty remarks." Chloe grinned and chuckled. Her face suddenly contorted in pain and she coughed and placed her hand on her chest. "Ok, note to self, laughing is not allowed." Clark smiled sadly.

"How long have I been out?" Chloe asked after a few moments of silence.

"About four days."

Chloe's eyes widened, "Four days?! Were you here the whole time?" Of course she knew the answer, the nurse told her a couple of hours ago but she wanted to hear it from him. Clark smiled sheepishly and raised his shoulders innocently, "Yea…"

'Oh my God…' she thought to herself… 'I think I just fell in love with him all over again'

"Pete and Lana stopped by as well. Lana brought a card and a balloon." He moved his body to the side a bit so she could have a good view of the card and balloon resting on table. She nodded and forced a weak smile. Every time Clark said Lana's name she just wanted to disappear because she heard the love in his voice. Clark reached over and grabbed the card from the table and handed it to her. Chloe took it from Clark's hand and opened it.

**Dear Chloe, **

**I hope you get better soon. We all miss you. **

**The Talon misses your sales. **

She smiled. She did spent most of her money buying caffeine from the Talon.

**Your friend, **

**Lana**

"I actually never thought of the card idea…I should have brought one." Clark stated. Chloe set the card down on the table next to her and turned to Clark. "Sorry."

Chloe shook her head, "Don't be sorry Clark, I'm just glad I could wake up to see you here."

Clark smiled warmly, "I'd do anything for you Chloe."

Chloe bit her lip and turned her head shyly away. Shy? Since when was Chloe Sullivan shy? 'oh who are you fooling Sullivan, when you're around Clark everything about you changes….whether you show it or not.'

Just then she remembered something, "Clark, what were you saying before?"

"Uh…" Clark looked at her cluelessly, "What do you mean?"

"When I was waking up I heard you talking to yourself…something about being an alien?" She raised an eyebrow.

Clark froze up and stared at Chloe who was staring at him. She didn't hear any of what he told her when she was unconscious. Great. He would have to explain it again.

"Uh…well…I…"

"Clark?" Chloe heard his hesitation and saw he was nervous. What was going on?

Clark sighed, "Chloe, I need to tell you something."

"Alright."

"It's…very important and I trust you to keep it a secret."

Chloe gave him a sideways look, "What's going on Clark?"

He averted his gaze from her and stared across the room. "I'm not from around here Chloe." His voice was soft.

Chloe looked at him. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

"My parents found me in a cornfield…right after the meteor shower hit Smallville thirteen years ago…"

Clark quickly glanced at her and saw that she was just staring at him.

"So what, you're like an orphan."

"In a way…but its what my parents found me in."

Chloe felt her heart beating fast and the heart monitor she was attached to showed it.

"A space ship, Chloe, they found me in a space ship."

"Oh my G…" she couldn't even finish the sentence. Clark stood up from his chair and walked around the room. Chloe followed him with her eyes. The guy she was head over heels for since she moved to Smallville…was not from Earth?

"I'm from a planet called Krypton." Clark continued…"My biological parents sent me here because our planet was going to explode and they wanted to save my life. My Kryptonian name is Kal-El."

"Kal-El…" Chloe repeated softly and looked up at Clark. "Kal-El." Clark closed his eyes and lowered his head a bit. "Please don't call me that." He opened his eyes and looked at Chloe's confused face.

"Krypton is gone Chloe, I was raised as Clark, and that's what my name will be."

Chloe nodded still shocked to the core.

"I know this is a lot for you to take in especially since you just woke up but I wanted you to know." Clark explained.

"Does anyone else know?" she asked.

"Only my parents…and Pete."

"Pete knows?" she questioned.

Clark shrugged sheepishly, "He found my ship, I sort of had to tell him."

Her eyes widened, "You still have your ship?"

Clark nodded a bit, "It's in the storm cellar."

Her jaw dropped, "No!"

He nodded again, "It is."

"Whoa…" She muttered.

"Chloe…" Chloe looked up…"I don't want you to think any different of me now…I'm still Clark…I mean, the only symbol of my Kryptonian genes are my abilities..."

"Abilities?" she turned her head in question.

Clark looked up, "Oh…I forgot to tell you about that…"

"About what?" She asked.

He stood there silently for a moment then with a flash was next to her bedside. Chloe looked to where he was standing to where he was standing now… "How did you…?"

Clark shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure why I have these abilities...I'm sure it has something to do with me being from Krypton."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

Clark nodded, "Oh yes…none that I can really demonstrate here. I have x-ray vision…"

"You mean you can see through things?" Chloe asked in amazement.

Clark nodded, "Yes. I have super strength and I'm invincible….to anything but kryptonite."

"Kryptonite?"

"The green meteor rocks." He explained, "They make me sick and weak, and I can't use my abilities"

Chloe blinked, "Wow."

Clark sat down in the chair next to her and they both sat in silence for a while.

"Clark?" she looked over at him after a little while.

He looked over at her and waited for her to continue. She smiled, "I don't see you as some creepy alien. I'm glad you told me who you really are. But to me, you'll always be Clark Kent, the farm boy from Smallville."

Clark stared at her a moment and then a smile grew on his face, "Thanks Chloe."

She smiled and held out her hand and he reached out and captured it in his. He squeezed her fingers lightly. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She blushed and bit her lip. She felt like she was going to explode. Clark Kent just kissed her! Okay, it wasn't on the lips but it was still a kiss!

"Chloe, there's something else I want to tell you." She looked over at him and saw the hesitance on his face. 'Oh no…Clark…PLEASE don't tell me that you and Lana are together…that's not what I need to hear right now…please.'

He let go of her hand and once again stood up. "I've been thinking a lot recently. Seeing you so vulnerable and hurt and knowing I could do nothing about it…..I don't know…it just made me realize something. You know that old saying, 'you don't know what you got till it's gone.' Well, I almost lost you and now I know why they say that. I just hate myself for realizing it only when you have a near fatal accident. And I was too blinded by Lana to see what was right in front of me." He looked over at her. "You."

She opened her mouth to say something but found herself speechless.

"I was always too busy chasing after someone who would never love me back to see someone who has always loved me and hopefully always will."

He took a breath, "Chloe, you're a brilliant reporter, you always believe in people, you're stubborn and persistent and don't stop until you get what you're after. You've got a good heart. You are an amazing girl Chloe. You accepted me for who I am even though I'm…I'm not even human."

He walked back over to the side of her bed and saw that her eyes were glistening. He sat down on the side of her bed and took her hand gently in his. "I think I've fallen for you Chloe."

She stared at the dark haired teen in front of her. The one person she has felt so strongly about just admitted that he felt the same way. She felt like screaming, she felt like dancing, she felt like flying. She barely even felt the pain as she leapt from under the covers and through her arms around him.

He was surprised at the sudden outburst but quickly wrapped his arms around her gently so not to hurt her. He smiled and closed his eyes as they both sat there for what seemed like hours.

Chloe's head was rested on his shoulder and she stared at the wall. She couldn't believe what was happening. What started as the worst time of her life turned out to be the best. She never thought this day would happen. She hoped for it. She imagined countless times Clark telling her that he had feelings for her but that was nothing compared to the actual feeling she had now. But even with all the happiness she felt she couldn't help the doubt that came along with it. She didn't want to ask this question but felt it needed to be asked,

"Clark, what about Lana?"

Clark lifted her off his shoulder and looked down at her, "What about Lana?"

"Clark, you've been in love with her for years….something like that doesn't just go away…believe me I know."

He gave her a look, "Chloe, I don't know exactly how it happened but….I swear I don't feel anything for Lana anymore." He fingered a strand of her blonde hair. She looked into his blue eyes and surprisingly she saw the same look that she always saw when he looked at Lana….But now he was looking at her like that. She grinned and Clark returned it.

Slowly, Clark started to lean in towards her and she felt totally giddy. Her eyes began to close as she watched Clark's face come closer to hers. It felt like forever until his lips finally met hers gently.

If she was physically capable, she would have melted into a big puddle on the floor. Clark's kiss was everything she imagined and more. She returned the kiss softly and felt Clark's grip on her tighten just a bit. She felt completely safe in his arms.

The kiss was too short for her liking but she was tired. She opened her eyes to meet Clark's gorgeous colored eyes. "Hmm…" She smiled lightly and closed her eyes tiredly and leaned her head on Clark's shoulder once again and before she knew it she was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: thanks for the reviews!!! It makes me happy to go on the computer and check my email and see good reviews! I'm glad that you're liking my first SV story. The website that I was watching Smallville episodes on is down (waa!) so I still need to see season 6 and I desperately want to because of the cliff hanger at the end of 5. And watching season 7 without seeing the season right before that kinda makes it a wee bit confusing. But I still love it anyway. **_

_**Chapter 4:**_

Chloe awoke the next morning to an empty room. She looked around quietly. The hospital was unusually silent. She glanced out the glass window into the hallways of the hospital but saw that was almost empty as well; the only thing there was the occasional nurse walking past.

She remembered what happened yesterday. Clark was there. Clark told her that he loved her. Clark was an alien.

She turned her head to the side. The table that only yesterday held Clark's books and jacket was completely vacant of anything. It was like Clark was never there. Perhaps he never was.

Chloe dreamt about Clark confessing his love to her all the time. Although, never in any dream did he tell her that he was from another planet. But then again, she did get hit by a car, her brain could have been a little jumbled.

She bit her lip and turned to look at the ceiling. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that everything that happened was infact a dream. It was too good to be true. Clark was probably at Lana's tail, drooling like the love sick puppy he was. Ok, she shouldn't complain about being a love sick puppy. But she was one of those puppies that kept it inside and didn't make it plainly obvious. Now Clark? Well, he was like a Labrador retriever puppy, showing everybody what he wanted and not letting go until he's got it.

She suddenly smirked when she saw the image of Clark as a little Labrador puppy, yipping and wagging his tail every time Lana came into the room. Lana would probably pay more attention to him if he was a puppy.

'I would pay attention to you if you were a puppy or not, Clark.' She thought miserably.

She lifted her head at the sound of a door opening. She saw her father standing in the door way and for a split second there was a trace of disappointment on her features. But she soon smiled at the sight of her father. "Hi dad."

Her father walked into the room and smiled, "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

Chloe shrugged, "Alright."

Mr. Sullivan walked over and placed a kiss to her forehead, "Good, I'm glad to hear that."

Chloe let out a breath, "So, how long until I get out of here?"

Mr. Sullivan laughed, "Chloe, you were always the impatient one."

"I don't like hospitals dad, the sooner I can get out of here the better."

He nodded, "Of course, I'll find the doctor right now." He ran his hand over the top of her head gently and then left the room to go find the doctor. Chloe sighed and looked around the quiet room.

About 10 minutes later the doctor and Mr. Sullivan came back in. "Good Morning Miss. Sullivan."

"Good Morning." Chloe greeted in return.

He looked at the clipboard in his hands, "You seem to be doing very well, although we will have to hold you in here a few more hours for observations."

Chloe sighed, "Alright."

The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile, "You'll be out of here before you know it."

And she was. The next six hours passed by fairly quickly. They ran all the tests they needed to on Chloe and found that she was well enough to go home. After she got the news that she could go home, she practically leaped out of the bed and got dressed. She met her father out in the hallway. After the doctor explained that she should rest and after he prescribed some medication, he let them go.

Chloe felt wonderful as soon as she stepped out into the fresh air. She smiled to her father beside her and together they both walked to the car. Chloe was silent the whole way home. She couldn't get Clark out of her mind. She still wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. She hoped with all her heart that she wasn't dreaming. As they were coming home from the hospital they passed Smallville high.

She looked over at the digital clock briefly. School was almost over. She started to smile lightly. Maybe Clark would come visit her after he got out of school. Then she would fine out if it was a dream or not. But it was just a dream…Clark wouldn't come by. He would be too busy with Lana. The smile was quickly replaced with a frown and she leaned her head against the cool glass. No matter how hard she tried she always came in second to Lana Lang. Lana was a nice person, sometimes a little too nice, but Chloe couldn't hate her even if she wanted to. It wasn't her fault she was the prettiest girl in school and because of that she had everything. She was a cheerleader, she had a football star boyfriend, she was a good student, and she had the cutest boy in school –in Chloe's opinion anyway- right under her thumb. Anytime she needed him he would be there in a heartbeat.

And every time Clark saw Lana, it was like his brain turned to goo. It was plainly obvious to anyone but Lana. At least her feelings for Clark were hidden and she didn't turn into a mindless, love struck zombie every time the object of her affections came into view. Of course every time the farm boy flashed his famous Clark Kent smile she wanted to either melt or run into his arms and kiss him senseless.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't realize that the car pulled into the driveway of her home. What pulled her out of her day dreams was her fathers voice calling her name. She lifted her head, "Huh?"

"We're home, honey."

"Oh." She unbuckled herself and got out of the car. It felt like forever since she's been home. She smiled lightly and followed her father to the front door. Mr. Sullivan unlocked the door and both he and his daughter walked in.

"Go on in and rest on the couch, Chloe. Turn on the T.V. You want something to eat?"

Chloe nodded a bit, "Uh, sure. Some soup would be nice."

Mr. Sullivan nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Chloe walked into the living room and found there was a blanket and some pillows on the couch. A little table has been moved to the side of the couch where there was easy access to the remote control. She smiled at her father's generosity and care towards her. As soon as she sat down on the couch and wave of sleepiness fell upon her. She didn't even realize how tired she was. She rested her head down on the pillow and pulled the blanket over her. She turned the T.V. on and flipped the channels until she found something she was interested in.

"Your soup is ready, Chlo." Mr. Sullivan walked into the room a few minutes later with a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup in his hands. "Chloe?" he repeated her name when he didn't get an answer. He peered over the side of the couch and found his daughter sound asleep. He smiled lightly and walked over to her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Sweet dreams." He walked back into the kitchen.

Chloe awoke about three hours later. Her vision was slightly blurred and so she blinked a few times to clear it. When her vision came into focus she saw a Buquet of flowers sitting on the table and a stuffed, white bear sitting in front of it. She smiled tiredly and sat up. 'Daddy.' She thought and shook her head. Her father was always treating her like this when she got sick or something. She took the vase off the table and held it up to her face and inhaled the floral scent. She wasn't a flower person usually but she appreciated them most times. And the scent calmed her most of the time. She then noticed a card in the center. She took the piece of folded paper from the floral arrangement and opened it. Her eyes widened when she read it. The flowers were not from her father at all. They were from Clark. It's a good thing she was sitting or otherwise she would have fallen. Clark Kent sent her flowers and a bear! She placed the flowers back down on the table and grabbed the bear. She hugged the bear to her and that brought back some of the hopes she had that maybe just maybe, it wasn't a dream.

She turned the T.V. back on and got her self comfortable. There was nothing on. Chloe normally wasn't a T.V. watcher. She normally spent all her time at the Torch. She finally settled for a documentary on the discovery channel.

There was a knock to the Sullivan's door. Chloe heard it faintly but didn't get up and was just concentrated on the T.V. Mr. Sullivan came out of the kitchen and approached the door. He opened the door and saw Clark standing there. "Hello Clark."

Chloe turned her head when her father said Clark's name. And she almost squealed when she heard Clark's voice. "Hello, Mr. Sullivan. Is Chloe awake?"

Mr. Sullivan smiled, "Yes, she just woke about an hour ago, come on in Clark."

"Thanks." Clark stepped in.

"She's in there," Mr. Sullivan pointed to the room behind Clark and he nodded and started to make his way towards the room. He appeared in the doorway and his eyes met Chloe's. He broke out into a grin and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

He walked into the room and took a seat next to her, "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better," 'now that you're here.' She added in her mind.

"Good." He glanced down and saw the bear gently tucked under her arm, "I see you've got my gift." He met her eyes once more.

She nodded, "Yea. Thanks. You didn't have to though."

Clark shrugged, "I wanted to."

"You're too sweet."

Clark looked down and after a moment looked back up. "It's what I do."

Chloe chuckled, "You and your Kent charm."

Clark grinned. "I'm glad to see you home."

Chloe groaned, "Oh I know! I hate hospitals! I am so glad to be home."

Clark smiled and looked at the T.V. and his smile faded. Chloe saw the change on his face and looked at the T.V. to see what could have possibly upset him. "There was nothing on." She explained.

"A documentary on Extra Terrestrials?" His voice was distant and he slowly turned to meet her gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Well you know me." Chloe shrugged with a smile but saw Clark's expression didn't change. Infact it grew more solemn. He turned his gaze away from her and stared at the floor.

"Clark? What's the matter?"

"It makes me uncomfortable." He elaborated.

"What? The talk about aliens and stuff?" Chloe saw Clark wince at the word alien and instantly thought of what she thought was a dream.

"Clark…" she started softly… "You really are a…"

"You thought I was _kidding_?" His voice sounded harsh as he snapped his head up to look at her.

"No!" she shook her head vigorously, "Clark….it's not that, it's just I thought it was a dream."

"Great." He replied and got to his feet.

"No, Clark! Please…don't go." She softly pleaded with him. His back was facing her and he stood still. "It's just I've waited so long to hear you tell me that you feel the same way about me as I do for you. And when I woke up there was no sign of you or that anything happened the night before. Everything I said last night was true, Clark. I don't think of you as anything different. I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable just….please…don't go." Her voice cracked and she felt tears in her eyes that she tried to fight back but failed and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Clark turned to face her and all the anger, shock, and hurt that was on his face before disappeared. He walked back over to her and sat slowly down on the couch. He reached out his hand and wiped away the tear. "You've been through a lot lately. I've put a lot of information on you; I don't blame you if you're freaked out or anything."

Chloe shook her head trying to get him to understand, "I'm not freaked out Clark, if anything I'm in shock but not by the fact that you're…" she lowered her voice so her father wouldn't hear… "From another planet." She raised her voice again, "But because of the fact that after all this time, I finally have you."

She placed her hand on top of his and looked into his eyes, "I love you, Clark."

Clark opened his mouth to say something but she placed a finger on his lips, "You don't have to say anything. I know it may be too soon for you. But I just want you to know, that I love you."

Clark smiled and kissed the tip of her finger lightly. Her face lit up at that and she squeezed his hand gently. He shifted his body over and sat close to her wrapping one of his arms around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and didn't even try to stop the goofy grin that was plastered on her face. She felt Clark kiss the top of her head and she snuggled up closer to him. He was extremely warm. She would have preferred cuddling with Clark than a blanket any day.

Chloe heard the T.V. still going on about aliens and their existence and she reached for the remote. The last thing she wanted was to make Clark upset. She flipped the channel to a basketball game. She felt Clark relax under her. Soon Clark's hand was upon hers that was on the remote and he pressed the power button and the screen turned black. Chloe looked up at him questionably. Clark smiled at her warmly, "I hope you don't mind but I figured we could just enjoy each others presence without the annoyance of a television in the background."

"You read my mind." She muttered as she gazed into his eyes. Clark leaned down and gently met her lips with his. They were at an odd angle so the kiss didn't last long. Chloe rested her head back on his shoulder and felt completely content. "Clark…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here for me."

His grip around her tightened just a bit, "If there should be any thanking around here, it should be me thanking you."

"Why?"

"Chloe, one of my biggest fears is that when people find out who I really am, they will look at me differently or even worse hate me. I would be some kind of lab rat for scientists and people in Smallville, you know how they react as soon as they hear the words 'Meteor Freak'. How would they feel about the someone who caused all of that?"

"Clark!" She sat up and looked at him in shock, "Clark, you don't blame yourself for all the meteor infected people in this town do you?"

Clark looked at her with a guilty expression. "It is my fault Chloe…"

"It is not! I never want to hear you say that again! Clark you had no control over it."

He sighed and turned his gaze away from her, "Chloe, I came down with the meteor shower. If it wasn't for me Smallville would be safe and…" He finished off quietly, "Lana's parents would be alive."

Chloe narrowed her eyes a bit, "Clark, it is not your fault that Lana's parents are dead. No one predicted a meteor shower…it was unexpected and her parents just happened to be there…you can't take the blame for an accident Clark. And as for Smallville being safe well…this small town needs a little excitement. Besides, we've got our own superhero to protect us."

He scoffed, "Yea well, how much help could I be when I can't even get near the meteor rocks."

She tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

He looked back over at her, "The meteor rocks, they're called Kryptonite, and they're my only weakness."

"Whoa…that's weird. Your only weakness is the only thing that's left of your home planet."

Clark nodded, "Yea."

"Hmmm…" She sat there in silence for a few moments and a thought suddenly came to her. She looked up at Clark, "Clark…does the wall of weird upset you?"

Clark looked down at her and smiled slightly, "Not really. I know that a lot of weird things do happen in Smallville and someone needs to keep track of it. Out of anyone I'm glad it's you."

"I'll take it down if you want me to."

"It's fine Chloe, really." He saw the doubtful look on her face, "I promise."

"Well I know why when people get infected with meteor rock they get these strange powers now. I don't really need the wall of weird anymore. The whole underlying cause of that wall was to find the reason why the meteor rocks infected people the way they did."

"But you can't just take it down Chloe; people will wonder why you did. You wouldn't lose interest in something like that. Keep it up, just to keep people from wondering."

"Alright…" she agreed… "But only if you're sure it doesn't make you at all uncomfortable."

"I'm positive. It's only when people mention the word…" He hesitated. Even he hated saying the word… "…alien…that I get uncomfortable."

"Well if anyone ever calls you that, I'll beat them up." She sounded like she was joking but she was serious. Clark chuckled. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, Chloe."

She huphed, "Ok fine Mr. I've- got-super-strength- and-don't-need-anyone's-help…" she looked up and saw Clark staring at her with an amused look on his face. "Stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Clark said while trying to suppress a laugh.

"You're laughing at me…I don't appreciate being laughed at."

"Sorry." She still heard the bit of laughter and amusement in his voice and she closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. Before she even had time to realize it Clark kissed her again. She shifted her body a bit to get into a more comfortable position and ran her fingers through his hair as the kiss deepened.

When they parted it took a moment for them to realize their position. Chloe sat on Clark's lap and his arms surrounded her waist to support her up. She realized that if her dad walked into the room at any given moment it would be very embarrassing. She quickly removed her self from Clark's lap and settled back into the spot she was before. She bit her lip gently. "I could always use your help Chloe."

Chloe realized he was referring to what they were talking about before their kiss fest. "Even my super strength and invulnerability can't prevent emotional pain."

Chloe smiled, "Well that's what a best friend is for."

His mouth was very close to her ear as he said to her, "That's what a girlfriend is for."

The words hit her full on and she froze. Did he just say…?

"Clark…" She whispered as she turned to him slowly, his eyes and face were lit up.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Chloe's jaw dropped. If it wasn't good enough that Clark has feelings for her, he just asked her to be his girlfriend! They would be an official couple! Yes! Yes, Clark Yes! Oh my God, YES! 'Idiot, he can't read your mind, say it out loud!'

"Yes…yes, of course I do!" She threw her arms around his neck and pushed him back onto the couch. She kissed him with all the passion she had in her. Clark returned the kiss and they stayed that way until both could hardly breathe.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Alright, well this is a short chapter. I got a major case of writers block. Possibly because auditions for the school musical are coming up soon and I'm nervous as hell. (I HATE auditions) Like every story I'm trying to write, nothing is coming to my mind. So this is just basically a filler chapter so you guys don't think I deserted you. So Enjoy!!! **_

Gabe Sullivan sat in the kitchen reading the newspaper and smiling at the occasional laughter he heard from the living room. For the past three years he watched his daughter pining over the Kent boy. Gabe saw the same thing that Chloe saw, the boy was too interested in Lana to notice her. Chloe and Clark became fast friends and from the first time Gabe met Clark, he knew that Chloe liked him. He was a charming boy, who cared about everyone and everything; he always tried to look for the good in bad situations. Gabe noticed that he did care for Chloe but not in the way his daughter hoped.

When Chloe got into the car accident and after she was in a room and getting taken care of, the first person he thought to contact was Clark. He knew when his daughter woke up Clark would be one of the only people, besides him, that she would want to see. So he called Clark up and was surprised to hear him immediately asking how she was. Clark always seemed to know what was going on but it was pretty late and in the middle of nowhere that this accident happened. So unless he was there, there was no way for him to know. But alas he knew. Gabe thought nothing of it and focused on the subject of his daughter. He explained how Chloe was and told Clark he could visit anytime he wanted to. Clark thanked him and was there not too soon after. Despite his daughters condition he couldn't help but almost smile when Clark arrived there and stayed with her until she was awake. He could see what no one else saw, that Clark, even if he didn't realize it himself, had at least some feeling for Chloe.

And he was right. Only about an hour after they got home from the hospital Clark appeared at his door step with Chloe's favorite flowers and a little snow white bear. This was no act of friendship, as a member of the male species he knew this. Friends, no matter how good of friends you are, do not give each other white bears. Possibly flowers but definatly not a stuffed bear. Gabe smiled and thanked Clark for the gifts for his daughter but explained that she was sleeping. Clark nodded and handed him the flowers and the bear. "Can you just give these to her?" Gabe nodded and told Clark that he would. Clark smiled and then left only to return a few hours later when Chloe was awake.

So now here he sat at the table listening to the faint sound of voices talking. He couldn't make out what they were talking about but he didn't want to eaves drop into their personal conversation anyway. He heard a slightly louder, 'Stop it!' from his daughter and then Clark's laughter. After a few more minutes he heard Chloe shout 'Yes!' very excitedly. He wondered what could have made her so happy.

About a half an hour later, as he saw that it was starting to get late, he went to check up on his daughter and Clark. He entered the room and found it to be quiet. The television was off and there was no sound coming from the two teens. He walked over to where he could get a better view and the sight made him smile. Clark was rested up against the arm of the couch and Chloe was situated in between his legs, her head was rested on his chest and his arms surrounded her blanket covered body. They both appeared to be either resting or asleep.

"Clark? Chloe?" He called out softly and when neither of them stirred he realized that they were asleep. As much as the sight warmed him, he didn't want Clark to stay over night. He knew nothing would happen but still it made him uncomfortable to think of the boy that Chloe has loved since the eighth grade staying for the night. But he didn't want to wake them. Chloe needed comfort, especially now. And the person who could make her the most happy is the boy that she was now cuddled in the arms of. He decided to call the Kent's to see what their opinion was of the situation.

He went back into the kitchen and dialed the Kent's number. He waited as the phone rang a couple of times and then he heard Jonathan's voice over the other line.

"Hello Jonathan, Gabe Sullivan."

"_Oh, hello Gabe. What's the matter?"_

"I seem to have a little situation involving your son…"

Jonathan was quiet on the other line for a few moments and then in a low voice asked, _"What happened?"_

Gabe noticed that Jonathan's voice seemed to have a little apprehension in it. "Nothing, nothing bad, Jonathan. Don't worry." He heard him breathe out in a sign of relief. That made him confused…What could have Clark done that was so bad?

"I just want your opinion on something." Gabe explained.

"_Alright. What is it?" _

"Clark has fallen asleep on my couch…" He heard a low chuckle and smirked a bit himself, "Yes…I found it amusing as well…although it was the position I found he and my daughter in that made not want to wake them…now before you freak out…" he added hastily… "It was nothing inappropriate. It was just too adorable that I didn't want to wake them."

"_Alright then, so what is it that you need my opinion on?" _

"If Clark should stay the night. I don't think that they will be waking up until morning. They looked pretty comfortable. I realize that tomorrow is a school day and I would have Clark up and ready for school at the same time I wake up Chloe everyday. Chloe is not going to school tomorrow, she still needs her rest but…"

He heard Jonathan making a thinking noise…_ "Well Gabe, I'm not sure…Clark is a good boy but he __**is**__ a teenager…"_

"I know…I thought that over in my head as well. Though I hardly doubt they would do anything…by the looks of things they just got together."

"_Together?" _

"As a couple. I heard Chloe shouting something earlier, she sounded very excited. I'm guessing Clark asked her out or something to that extent."

Jonathan laughed happily, _"Well it's about time…" _ Gabe smiled in agreement and heard Martha ask what was going on in the background. Jonathan told her what Gabe just told him and Gabe could almost hear the smile on her face.

"I know it's a lot to ask Jonathan…but I think my daughter needs to have him here. At least for tonight. I'll even sleep in the guest bedroom which is right across the hall, with the door open so if I hear anything I can…"

"_That won't be necessary Gabe." _Jonathan cut him off. For a minute Gabe thought that Jonathan was going to say no to the idea. _"I trust my son not to do anything he's not supposed to do. He can stay. But tell him to stop off home before he goes to school tomorrow." _

Gabe smiled, "I will do that."

"_I'll stop by in a few minutes to drop off his clothes for tomorrow." _ Jonathan laughed, _"God, I don't even remember the last time Clark had a sleep over." _

"It's not something teenage boys do very often…especially with girls…if they're not going to do anything."

To his surprise Jonathan burst out laughing, _"That is true, that is true. I'll see you in a few minutes." _

"Alright. Bye."

"_Bye." _

He hung up the phone and shook his head with a smirk on his face.

Back at the Kent farm, Jonathan was doing the same exact thing. He saw Martha looking at him with a confused look. "What's going on Jonathan?"

"Clark's staying the night."

Her eyes widened, "At Chloe's?!"

Jonathan nodded. "Jonathan, are you sure that's a good idea."

"Martha, we both know that Clark would never do anything, especially with Chloe's father in the same house."

Martha crossed her arms and sighed, "A lot of things can happen when you're so close to the person you love Jonathan."

Jonathan smirked, "I trust him, Martha."

"I do too Jonathan it's just…"

"Everything will be fine, Martha. Chloe just got out of the hospital; she needs her boyfriend to comfort her."

Both Jonathan and Martha smiled at the fact that their son now had a girlfriend. A girlfriend that they could trust. Not they couldn't trust Lana. But Martha knew that Clark told Chloe, Clark told Martha that when he came home the other day from the hospital. He walked in the house with such a big smile on his face that Martha had to ask him. He explained that he told Chloe about himself and that nothing changed between them except for the better. Martha didn't understand what he meant by that until Jonathan told her just a few minutes ago that they were a couple. After seeing Clark, for so many years being left in the dirt by Lana, he deserved to be happy. Martha was always worried that Clark would never find a woman to love and who could love him because of his heritage. For the most part he could never tell anyone and even if he did, there could always be the chance that they wouldn't see him as the same person, the same great young man that he was. But Chloe didn't see him as anything different. Chloe accepted him and loved him for who he was. Martha loved Chloe for that reason. As much as Lana was a sweet girl with all she's been through, Martha couldn't see her looking at Clark the same way after he told her his secret.

"So why did Gabe even call you to ask that question?"

"Apparently our son fell asleep on his couch and he and Chloe looked so adorable he didn't have the heart to wake them up."

Martha smiled warmly.

"Well, I better head over there. I'm just gonna get Clark's stuff and get going."

It took about 15 minutes for Jonathan to get Clark's clothes ready for the next morning and for him to arrive at the Sullivan's house. He parked in the Sullivan's drive way and grabbed the bag with Clark's stuff out of the passenger seat in his truck. He threw the bag over his shoulder and walked up to the front door. He knocked lightly and soon Gabe appeared at the door. He let Jonathan in with a smile, "You can take his stuff in here." He told Jonathan in a low voice. He led Jonathan into the living room where Clark and Chloe still lay sleeping on the couch. As soon as he walked in Jonathan understood completely why Gabe didn't want to wake them. He never saw his son sleeping so peacefully and Chloe just had this smile on her face. He placed the bag down and walked over to the couch. He gently brushed the hair out of Clark's face and turned to Gabe. "I wouldn't have wanted to wake them either."

"Mmm…Dad?" Jonathan heard Clark's voice behind him and he turned to see Clark with his eyes half open. Clark started to get up but Jonathan put his hand out to stop him, "Just go back to sleep, Clark."

Clark didn't argue and laid his head back down and closed his eyes again.

"You've raised a fine young man there, Jonathan." Gabe told him when they were back at the door. Jonathan's heart swelled with pride. "Thank you." He always knew, from the moment they found the young boy in the cornfield that Clark would grow up to be some one to be proud of. "Chloe is a rather remarkable girl and I think my son would agree."

Gabe smiled at the compliment, "All Chloe ever wanted was for Clark to notice her. She would have given up anything to be with him."

Jonathan nodded, "Yes, I always knew something was there between the two. I could see it in Clark's eyes whenever he looked at her that he felt something towards her. I'm glad he finally acted on it."

"Indeed am I, Jonathan, Indeed am I."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated lately. My Grandmother just passed away about two weeks ago and I wasn't in the mood to do anything really. And then I had writers block on top of that. So I'll try and update more frequently especially with Christmas break coming up soon! YAY!! **_

_**Happy Holidays to all!!!!**_

* * *

Chloe awoke the next morning feeling totally relaxed. She lifted her eyes toward the window and saw it was still dark. The house was quiet so she assumed her father was not up yet. It was early, she guessed, and that was good, she didn't want to get up. She just had the best night's sleep she had in a long time. She was comfortable there on the couch and not to mention, warm.

She shifted a bit and froze up when she felt movement under her. She both did and did not want to see what was under her. She nearly screamed when she felt something lightly brush against the skin on her stomach.

She slowly lowered her gaze to her stomach and expected to see nothing there but instead she saw a pair of familiar hands. 'Clark?' She asked herself and turned.

Sure enough, there behind her, was Clark, sleeping peacefully. She couldn't help but grin when she saw him and snuggled back up to him.

She thought about everything that happened yesterday. Her dreams were finally coming true. Clark Kent, the most adorable, amazing guy on face of the planet 'even though he's not from this planet…' just asked her, Chloe-not-so-pretty-or-smart-as-Lana-Lang- Sullivan, to be his girlfriend! She was his girlfriend! Not Lana. As wrong as she knew it was she wanted to shove it in Lana's face that Clark was hers.

As much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she couldn't. So she just lay there getting lost in her thoughts for about another hour until she felt Clark shift under her. She turned her head to look at him and saw that he was looking at her tiredly. Chloe smirked, "Morning sleepy head." He groaned and sat up a little. She reluctantly brought herself off of Clark and moved to the other side of the couch. She watched as Clark brought his hands up over his head in a stretch and when he brought them back down, she noticed he looked wide awake. "Wow, Clark. You wake up fast." He shrugged and glanced out the window to the rising sun. "I always rise with the sun."

Chloe raised her eyebrows, "Wow, your parents must be thrilled with that." Clark smiled gently and shrugged, "Yea"

"So you've never slept late?"

Clark shook his head, "No it's weird as soon as the sun is up so am I. My Dad says it's a farmer thing but I'm not too sure."

Chloe nodded. She understood what he meant by that. "You think the sun has some kind of affect on you?"

Once again, he shrugged, "I'm not too sure. If there was, I don't think it's negative." He looked around and finally seemed to notice where he was. "We fell asleep on your couch?"

Chloe raised her shoulders, "I guess so."

"And your Dad just let me stay here?"

Chloe nodded a bit and saw out of the corner of her eye the suitcase near the couch. "Apparently your Dad did too." She motioned her head over to where the suitcase lay. Clark turned around and saw it. "Alright…That's weird. My Dad is very strict about this kind of thing. He's told me numerous times that he better never catch me sleeping with a girl."

Chloe couldn't help but blush. 'Did he just say….?' Clark must have realized the same thing she did because he snapped his head up at looked over at Chloe. His cheeks turned just as red as hers, "Uh…that's uh…That's not what I meant…I…uh…"

Chloe chuckled at his apparent embarrassment, "Relax Clark, I know what you meant." Clark grinned sheepishly and his cheeks turned even redder. Chloe returned the grin.

The pair lifted their heads at the sound of the stairs squeaking. About a few seconds later Mr. Sullivan appeared in the doorway. "Well Good Morning you two."

"Good Morning Dad." "Good Morning Mr. Sullivan." They replied in unison. Gabe walked into the room. "How long have you been up?"

"I've been up for about an hour," Chloe replied, "Clark just woke up a few minutes ago." Gabe nodded and looked over at the clock, "There's still time before Clark has to get going, you kids want some breakfast?" Chloe watched ad Clark's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. She smirked and shook her head, 'I guess it doesn't matter what planet you're from, all guys will jump at the chance for food.'

Gabe also noticed the boy's excitement and chuckled, "Alright, come on." He motioned for them to come with him. Clark stood and Chloe slowly rose from the couch still a bit weak. "Uh, Mr. Sullivan?" Clark asked as he followed the older man, "Yes?"

"Do you mind if I take a shower here first?"

Chloe and her father both looked at Clark. Chloe nearly starting freaking out. She knew it was immature but her heart started pounding at the thought that Clark would be using the same shower that she used everyday! He was going to be _naked_ in her house! 'Oh My God, Chloe, Calm yourself. It's just Clark…your best friend.' 'Your Boyfriend!' The voice inside her squeaked.

"Sure thing, Clark," Gabe responded. "I'm sure you remember where the bathroom is," Clark nodded, "And you can find a towel the storage closet in the hallway right next to the bathroom." Clark nodded once again, "Thank you, Mr. Sullivan." Clark grabbed his bag from the living room and disappeared upstairs to the bathroom.

Chloe sat down at the kitchen table. She let out a breath slowly and that got the attention of her father. "You alright, Chlo?" Chloe looked up, hearing her name, "What?...oh, yeah, I'm fine."

Gabe looked at her with concern, "Are you sure?"

Chloe nodded, "I'm fine Dad."

Gabe sat down at the table across from her, "You seemed rather quiet today, both you and Clark, what's going on?"

Chloe bit her lip and smiled, "Clark asked me to be his girlfriend."

Her father smiled and Chloe also broke into a grin, "I thought as much."

Chloe cocked her head to the side, "Why did you let Clark sleep over?"

Gabe chuckled, "At first I was hesitant but I contacted Jonathan and we thought it over together. With all you've been through lately, we decided that you need comfort and the best person to give that to you was Clark."

Chloe smiled, "You didn't have to do that for me."

Gabe reached over and took her hand, "I wanted to."

Approximately ten minutes later both Chloe and her father heard the squeaking of the stairs signaling that Clark was on his way down. Gabe was at the stove cooking the breakfast and Chloe looked at the doorway patiently waiting for him to enter the doorway. Soon enough he appeared and her jaw almost hit the floor. He was dressed in Jeans and a plain white shirt and he must have still been a bit wet because she could see right through it to his well toned upper body. Not to mention his hair was still wet and hung in his face. As much as she adored his constant wardrobe of flannel, this was definatly better.

Chloe realized that he had caught her staring at him as she lifted her eyes to his and he just smiled at her. She sunk in her seat just slightly. She couldn't help it! When it came to Clark and he was dressed like THAT, her brain turned to goo. 'If all men from Krypton look like he does….get me the first space ship up there.' 'But Clark said that the planet exploded and that's why he got sent to Earth.' 'Well there has to be some other survivors…maybe?'

"…again, Chloe?" She heard Clark's voice and snapped out of her inner monologue.

"What?"

Clark raised his eyebrows in amusement and smirked, "I said, are you talking to yourself in your head again?"

Chloe's mouth opened to say something but she couldn't really think of anything to say. How did he…?

"You always space out when you talk to yourself in your head." He explained.

"I do not talk to myself in my head, Clark!"

"Yes you do, sweetheart." Her father cut in, setting a plate of eggs and bacon on the table.

"Dad! You're supposed to be taking my side!" She joked.

"Sorry Chlo," He placed a hand on Clark's shoulder, "But we guys have to stick together." Clark nodded in agreement.

Chloe crossed her arms, "Fine, team up against the girl who just got out of the hospital." She stared directly at Clark and knew he hated it when she pulled the guilt trip. Although he didn't move much at all, she could tell he wanted to give in to her. So she just kept going, "I still have a bit of headache from you know getting hit by a speeding car and flipping over several times…"

Now she saw a change in Clark's features. He was looking guilty but not quite the guilty expression she was looking for. With her hobby of being an investigative reporter she noticed a lot of different types of expressions. Clark looked utterly and completely guilty. He no longer held her gaze and he looked down at the table. She decided right then and there to stop with her guilt trip and to find out later why Clark was acting so guilty.

"I'm kidding…" She urged trying to get Clark to lighten up. He looked up from the table and smiled but she could see past it.

"Alright, Alright, Every man…" Gabe paused and looked at Chloe… "And woman, for his/herself. Now eat up, Clark's got to get home before school starts."

Clark suddenly bounced back and reached for the plate of food at the middle of the Table. Chloe watched as he took almost the whole plate and started to eat it. He was like a vacuum just sucking the food off the plate and into his mouth. "Whoa, down boy…" she laughed, "You act like you haven't eaten in days."

Clark paused and looked over at her. He swallowed what he had in his mouth and sat up a bit, "Sorry."

Chloe just laughed again.

After breakfast, Clark gathered his bag and threw it over his shoulder. Mr. Sullivan asked him if he wanted a ride to his house. Clark refused and said that he would walk. He knew he could get home much faster.

Chloe walked with Clark to the door and her father stayed in the kitchen to give them some privacy. For about a minute they both stood there in silence. Chloe finally broke the silence, "Thank you for staying with me over night."

Clark smiled, "Anytime."

They both realized how wrong that sounded and Clark's eyes widened, "I…" Chloe chuckled and placed her hand on his upper arm. "It's alright Clark, I knew what you meant."

Clark smiled sheepishly. Chloe stared at him in wondered amazement. She never saw Clark act this way….except when he was around Lana.

He pointed over his shoulder, "Well, I better go."

Chloe nodded, "Right. Don't want to be late."

Clark shifted the bag on his shoulder even though it hardly weighed anything to him. He opened the door and before he left he kissed Chloe on the lips quickly, "Bye, Chlo." And with that he disappeared from sight.

"Bye…" She muttered to herself half amazed by the kiss she just received and half by the fact that Clark just disappeared in front of her eyes. She closed the door and rested her back against the door, a dreamy look on her face.

Clark got home about a minute later. He opened the door to the kitchen and saw both his parents at the table. Jonathan and Martha looked up at the sound of the door opening. As soon as they saw their son both their eyebrows shot up and Martha bit her lip.

Clark stared at his parents in confusion; he knew the look on their faces. "What's so funny?"

"Use a brush this morning, son?" Jonathan asked with a smirk.

"Yeah Dad, why?"

"Go look at yourself in the mirror."

Clark didn't feel like going all the way to the bathroom to look at his reflection so he just went over to the window. His eyes widened when he saw his thick dark hair all over the place a top his head. "Oh!" He used his hands to pat down his hair and turned to his parents. "That usually doesn't happen when I super speed."

Martha chuckled, "Did you have a good night, Clark?"

Clark broke out into a grin, "Yea, I did." He placed his bag down next to the table, "Thanks for letting me stay over there."

Jonathan nodded, "You're welcome." He pointed a finger at his son, "But don't get used to it because it's not gonna happen very often."

Clark shrugged, "Well, I only stayed over there because Chloe was hurt."

Martha and Jonathan glanced at each other with a knowing look, "Sure you did, Clark."

Clark looked between his parents. Were his parents implying what he thought they were implying?

"Dad….I would never…"

"Gabe told us about you and Chloe." Martha told him and she smiled, "We're happy for you."

Clark smiled again, "I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"I take it she said 'yes' by the way you're smiling like a goof." His mother teased.

Clark opened his mouth to say something but only blushed in response. Martha chuckled. "Don't worry, Clark. You're father had that same exact smile when I told him that I would be his girlfriend. And when I told him I would marry him and on our wedding day. And when you officially became our son."

"Whoever said guys don't have emotions was terribly lying." Jonathan stated and looked over to Clark, "Am I right?"

Clark nodded, "You are."

Martha smiled, "Well I never thought that. Especially living with you two."

Both father and son looked to Martha, "What is that supposed to mean?" They asked in unison.

Martha smiled innocently and got up from the table, "Nothing." She placed her coffee cup in the sink and looked at the two before leaving the room.

Clark looked at his father, "She's your wife."

"She's _your_ mother." Jonathan came back with.

"Hey, you found me. I'm not the one that chose her."

Jonathan stood up from the table and slapped his son playfully on the back of the head knowing it wouldn't hurt him. "Hey!" Clark laughed and rubbed the back of his head. Jonathan chuckled, "Get to school, Clark."

"Aye, aye sir!" Clark mocked saluted him and Jonathan went to slap his head again but Clark ducked out of the way, laughed, grabbed his book bag and sped out the door.

Jonathan shook his head, "What am I going to do with that boy?"

"He's _your_ son." Martha's voice piped in from the next room. Jonathan laughed, "Yes he is."


	7. Chapter 7

Because the week was almost over when Chloe actually felt good enough to go back to school, her father decided to keep her home for the rest of the week and send her back Monday. As much as Chloe wanted to go back to school she was also grateful that her father decided to keep her home. She realized she did need the rest.

So now it was Monday morning and she just finished getting dressed and she started to head toward the bathroom to put on her make up. After she applied just a little bit of face make up, she headed downstairs. Her father was already up and making breakfast. She watched as her father rushed around the kitchen trying to finish cooking before she had to leave. "Dad, you act like this is my first day of school…ever."

Gabe looked over his shoulder at his daughter, "I'm just making sure that you're well nourished before you head back outside."

Chloe raised her eyebrows and took a seat at the table, "Well alright, but Dad, I'm fine. I've been fine all weekend. I don't need any special care."

Gabe placed a plate of pancakes on the table along with a glass of orange juice, "Well my only daughter just got into a near fatal car accident, excuse me for being a little over protective right now."

Chloe nodded, "Alright, alright." She took some of the pancakes onto her plate. "So, are you going to let me go on the bus, or are you going to drive me…?"

"Oh uh…no." He sat down at the table across from her, "Clark's going to pick you up."

At the mention of the name of her boy friend she suddenly smiled, "Really?"

Gabe nodded, "Yea, he said he wanted to show you something." He shrugged.

Chloe's eyes widened. Was he going to take her to school the special Clark Kent way?

"When's he coming?" Chloe asked not even trying to hide her excitement. She hadn't seen Clark since Saturday. On Sunday, his father needed help on the farm and then Lex stopped on by and took Clark out to Metropolis for the rest of the day. Chloe really wasn't too fond of the guy. He was a Luthor after all. Although Lex appeared to be somewhat caring and considerate on the outside, Chloe knew differently, all billionaires were the same. She knew that one day Lex was going to betray Clark and everyone that tried to be nice to him. It was just the Luthor way. So needless to say she was not too happy when she learned that not only would she not be spending the day with her boyfriend but he would be spending it with Lex Luthor.

Gabe looked at his watch, "He should be coming real…." They both heard a knock on the door… "Now."

Chloe's face lit up and she grinned as she ran to the door and swung it open. "Clark!"

The farm boy grinned, "Hey Chloe."

He leaned in and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the lips. "I see you're feeling better."

Chloe nodded still grinning, "Yah, and I haven't even had my coffee yet."

He raised his eyebrows, "Hmm, well this is going to be a fun morning."

"Hey!" She exclaimed still with a smile on her face and slapped his arm lightly. He smiled and chuckled a bit. "I'm kidding." He looked over her shoulder and saw Gabe in the kitchen and food on the table. "I hope I didn't come too early."

Chloe shook her head, "Of course not Clark, come on, join us for breakfast."

"Uh, that's ok Chloe; I already had something before I left."

Chloe gave him a look and grabbed his arm, "I don't care, you don't have to eat something but you are coming with me."

Chloe dragged him to the kitchen and sat him down on a chair. "Good Morning, Mr. Sullivan."

Gabe smiled at the boy, "Hi there Clark, how are you this morning?"

Clark shrugged, "I'm alright, how are you?"

"I'm fine thanks."

Clark smiled a bit and turned to look at Chloe. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw her. She was wolfing down her plate of food. "Chloe..."

Chloe paused and looked up at him, "Yeah?" She asked through a mouth full of food.

"Hungry much?"

Chloe realized what he was talking about and stopped gobbling down the food. She swallowed and straightened herself up. "Sorry. I guess I was pretty hungry." She didn't want to tell them that the reason she was eating as fast as she could was because she wanted to spend as much alone time as possible with Clark.

Clark eyed her half empty dish and then back up at Chloe, "Really? I couldn't tell."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at his sarcastic comment. "Hey I wouldn't be talking; you were like a vacuum cleaner but for food the other day."

Clark had a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, "I'm a guy, I have an excuse."

Gabe started to laugh at that, "Yeah, he has a point Chloe."

Chloe looked between the two guys, "Yea, well, I haven't been eating much since the accident so God Forbid I'm actually hungry."

She noticed that once again Clark seemed completely guilty at the mention of her accident. She was determined to figure out why. She didn't really see the other driver but it didn't _look_ like Clark from what she did see. But she wasn't thinking clearly perhaps it was Clark. But he would tell her, wouldn't he? And the police would have told her father. And her father would have told her. Unless he didn't want her to know that the one she was in love with almost killed her. 'Stop it Chloe! If Clark hit you, he would have told you!'

"So you want to get going?" Clark asked her and she looked over to him, stared at him for a moment trying to get out of her thoughts and back to the real world and it took a moment for his question to get to her. "Oh, yea." She replied and stood up from the table. She took her plate to the sink and kissed her father on the cheek in a goodbye and then grabbed her book bag from the corner of the room. She looked at Clark. "Let's go."

He nodded and turned to Gave, "Bye Mr. Sullivan."

"Have a good day, you two!"

Clark smiled and nodded in return. He put his arm around Chloe and walked with her to the door. They both walked outside and stood on the front stoop for a moment.

"So…" Chloe looked around for his father's truck but saw no sign of it.

"I think it's about time you see what I can do." Clark replied and Chloe lifted her head to look at him excitedly. He looked down to her, "I mean you've seen it briefly but I want you to experience it first hand."

He pulled her closer to him, "hold on to me."

She nodded but didn't say a thing. 'Not a problem.'

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face to his chest not exactly knowing what she was preparing herself for.

Clark suddenly burst into super speed and the sudden rush made Chloe scream and hold onto Clark tighter but after a few seconds she just started to grin and laugh. Clark was moving so fast it was like time stopped.

Before she knew it they were behind Smallville High. It took a moment for her to realize that he stopped and once she did she pulled away from Clark. She looked around her and then up at Clark. "Wow. That was…incredible."

He chuckled softly, "Yea, But you get used to it after a while."

"Huh…Why are we in the back of the school?"

"Well, I can't just appear out nowhere in the middle of hundreds of students."

"Oh…right."

Clark smirked, "It's alright, You should have seen Pete's face when I first actually showed him by abilities."

Chloe smirked as well and crossed her arms, "What did you super speed?"

Clark shook his head, "No, we were playing basketball and he told me to show him what I had so I did."

She nodded… "Well, I still want to see that strength of yours."

Clark smiled and chuckled a bit, "Well let's put it this way…When I was three I could lift the back end of my dad's truck single handed."

Chloe's eyes widened, "You did that when you were _three_?! What can you do now?"

"Well…I can bench press a tractor no sweat."

Chloe's eyes got even wider and her jaw dropped, "Are you serious?"

He shrugged impishly.

"You have a lot of things to show me later." She grabbed his forearm. "But as for now, we have to get to class."

The couple walked around the school and caught up with Pete.

"Chloe, hey! How are you?" Pete asked as they walked up to him. Chloe smiled. "I'm alright. How you been?"

He shrugged, "Well the Torch has been lonely with out you."

"The torch? I wasn't asking about The Torch, I was asking about you."

Pete chuckled, "I'm fine."

"That's good."

An awkward silence fell upon the trio and they just stood there for a few minutes. "So uh…" Pete started pointing over his shoulder, "You wanna get to class?"

Chloe nodded, "Yea, I don't want to be late on my first day back." She had a half sarcastic tone to her voice.

Clark nodded. "Right, of course not." Chloe looked up at him and smiled and he returned it. He took her hand in his and they started to walk towards the school. They only walked a few feet when they realized Pete was no longer with them. Chloe looked over her shoulder and saw Pete giving them a confused look.

"What is it?"

Pete took a few steps forward, "Since when do you two hold hands when you walk around?"

Chloe spun around and looked at Clark, "You didn't tell him?"

Clark shrugged, "I figured I'd wait for you."

Chloe rolled her eyes and smacked Clark on the arm. "Hey!"

"Wait, tell me what?" Pete looked between the two.

Chloe turned back to Pete and sighed lightly, "Clark asked me to be his girlfriend."

Clark crossed his arms, "God Chloe, when you say it like that it sounds like that's a bad thing."

Chloe turned to look at him. She couldn't believe how much he affected her. He was giving her the most adorable face. "Never." She moved closer to him and leaned her head against his arm.

"Oh, well congratulations." Both Chloe and Clark turned to Pete who was giving them a smile. But Clark saw past that smile. He always knew that Pete has a crush on Chloe just like he had a crush on Lana. But Pete never made a move because he knew that Chloe was fixed on Clark. And now Chloe was getting what she always dreamed of.

"Thanks." Chloe grinned and squeezed Clark's hand. She then realized that there were almost no students outside anymore. "Ok guys, we really better go."

The two boys nodded and this time, all three of them headed towards the school.

After Pete told them that he would see them later and headed towards his class, Clark and Chloe headed towards Chloe's locker.

On the way there, Chloe caught sight of Lana walking down the hall. She immediately tensed up. Clark told her numerous times that he was over Lana but he never actually saw the two in the same room since he said that. Usually whenever Lana entered the room, he would either get nervous, excited or a mixture of both.

Lana looked in their direction and a smile spread across her face. Chloe clenched her teeth together thinking that she was smiling at Clark. Lana pushed her way through the crowd and walked up to them. But she didn't even look at Clark when she got close to them. "Chloe! Welcome back!" She hugged Chloe lightly. Chloe returned the hug awkwardly and shared with Lana's smile when she pulled back.

"I missed my science partner." Lana said with a smile. Chloe nodded, "Yea, me too."

That was when Lana saw Clark. "Hi Clark."

Chloe slowly turned to look at her boyfriend. He nodded towards Lana. "Hi Lana, how are you?"

"I'm alright, thanks." She was still smiling. Boy did she smile a lot, Chloe noticed.

Clark once again nodded and switched his gaze from Lana to Chloe and Chloe saw that change in his eyes. The one that usually occurred that when he looked from her to Lana. He smiled a bit and she smiled in return. Clark raised his eyebrows and Chloe giggled. That made Clark grin.

Lana watched their silent conversation, "Is there something I'm missing?"

Clark and Chloe looked to Lana. Clark shook his head, "No, nothing."

Lana gave him a skeptical look but smiled just the same, "Okay."

"We'll catch up with you later, Lana, ok?" Clark said as he started to walk with Chloe past Lana. Lana nodded and furrowed her brows.

"Uh sure, see you guys later." She waved after them. But the two were already headed down the hall.

Lana shook her head still utterly confused about what just happened. Clark was talking to her like she was nothing to him. Which was odd, she even knew that Clark Kent was in love with her. It wasn't like it wasn't obvious. Especially the night of Chloe's accident.

Clark wouldn't leave her side while she worked the Talon. Anytime Lana needed something she didn't even have to finish her sentence and Clark was on it. Every time she looked at him she noticed that he was smiling at her. But once he realized she was looking at him, he would straighten up and act like he wasn't doing anything. It was the classic move for 'I have a crush on you.'

But just a few moments ago Clark wasn't looking at her like that…he was looking at Chloe.

She started to walk down the hall towards her first class when she heard Pete talking with some students near his locker. As she was passing him she heard him say to the girl next to him, "…Chloe and Clark."

"Together?!" The girl beside him asked in a very preppy like tone. "No way."

Pete nodded, "They told me themselves."

Another girl by Pete's side said, "I don't believe it, I thought Kent was hooked on that Lana chick."

"So did I." The prep chimed in.

Another girl, that wasn't as preppy as the other two, approached the group, "I always knew that the two had chemistry. Clark was too blind to see what was in front of him."

Lana didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation. She turned into a different hallway. She didn't understand. Why wouldn't Clark and Chloe tell her that they're together? It's not like she cared. It was always obvious that Chloe liked Clark and Lana did see him kiss her in the hallway last year. Were they afraid on how she would react? She wouldn't try to split them up, maybe that's what Chloe was afraid of.

Lana did start to have feelings toward Clark but if he found another girl, especially Chloe, Lana didn't mind. There were plenty of guys at the school for her. There are other fish in the sea. But it hurt to have her two best friends stand right in front of her and not tell her that they were together.

She looked over her shoulder, even though she knew Clark and Chloe weren't there. She shook her head and walked into her classroom.

Chloe met up with Clark after the last bell rang. They hadn't seen each other since lunch because they don't have any classes after lunch together. They met up in front of the Torch office and Chloe waved to him and approached him like any other day when they were just friends. But as soon as she got close enough, Clark pulled her to him and kissed her quickly. She stared up at him wide eyed but soon recovered.

"Well that's something to look forward to everyday." She grinned. Clark smiled in return.

She sucked in her lower lip for a moment and grinned up at him shyly. "Uh hey, listen, I'm going to check some things in the torch office and then we can go, okay?"

Clark nodded, "Alright."

Chloe opened the door the Torch office and flicked on the light. She looked around and saw that it looked exactly as how she left it. She walked in with Clark right behind her.

She walked over to her desk and sat down in the chair. She let out a breath and looked over all the papers on her desk. "It's good to be back." She looked up at Clark and he chuckled. "Well the school missed its daily newspaper as well."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Oh please, this school doesn't give a crap about the Torch. But since they have no other source to go to for information about meteor freaks, they read this." She caught a glance of the wall of weird and stood up from the chair. She walked over to it and looked back at Clark. "Are you sure you don't want me to take it down?"

Clark shook his head, "No Chloe. As long as you don't put me up there…"

"Never!" Chloe cut him off. "I would never put you up there Clark. Just because you come from another planet doesn't make me you weird."

"Chloe!" Clark hissed and looked over his shoulder to the open door.

Chloe's eyes widened and she rushed past Clark to see if anyone was outside to hear that. As she approached the door she heard the scuffling of feet. 'Oh no...'

Her heart started to pick up speed and she poked her head out the door. She looked right and saw no one and then looked left and that's when she saw Pete. She sighed in relief. Pete's eyes were widened in mock shock. Chloe pulled him into the room and closed the door.

"Clark is from another planet?! Oh my god…" He said also in mock shock as he looked between the two.

Clark gave him an exasperated look, "Pete…"

Pete smirked and chuckled… "Really, that could have been Lana or worse one of the cheerleaders or jocks."

"I know Pete," Chloe sighed, "It was an accident. I know I have to be careful." She slowly lifted her head towards Clark, "Sorry Clark."

"It's alright Chloe. I know it takes time getting used to."

Chloe smiled lightly. "Clark you are the best boyfriend ever."

Clark smiled a bit but his eyes showed his true happiness at the compliment.

"Alright you lovebirds, cut it out." Pete said as he walked towards them.

Chloe chuckled, "Alright, alright." She made her way back over to the Torch desk and looked over all her papers. She bit her lip, thinking.

"There's nothing I can do today. I'll have to sit here and work some other time." She walked away from her desk and towards the door. "Come on, let's go."

She opened the door and shut the lights. Pete walked out the door while Chloe waited by the door waiting for Clark. He stepped outside and Chloe followed behind shutting and locking the door.

The three walked outside and Pete saw his mom with the car sitting in the parking lot. "Alright, my mom's here, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Pete!" Chloe called after him and Chloe and Clark stood there until the car disappeared out of sight.

"So…" Chloe turned to Clark with a smile.

Clark shrugged lightly.

Suddenly an idea hit her. "Clark!"

He raised his eyebrows, "Yes?"

She looked around for signs of any people but just in case she leaned forward to him and whispered so only he could hear, "Can I see your ship?"

His eyes widened and he took a step back, "Chloe…"

"Please." She stuck out her lower lip.

He gave her a look. "Chloe, I don't know…"

She sighed, "Clark, come on! I'm not going to do anything with it! I'm just curious, you know me!"

He furrowed his brows and stared at her, "My Dad wouldn't be too happy about it."

"Clark, it's _your_ ship! I think if you want to show your girlfriend, you can. And besides I'm trustworthy, aren't I?"

Clark nodded, "Yes, you are but…"

"But what?"

He sighed and looked down to the ground. "Nothing." He let out a breath, "Alright, come on."

Chloe grinned and clapped her hands together, "Oh Clark, you are the best!" She hugged him and he smiled gently. "Yea, yea."

He wrapped his arms around her and sped her to the farm.

Once they were in front of his barn, and Clark let go of her, she grinned up at him. "That is so much better than taking a bus."

Clark smiled in return, "I agree, but my parents don't like me to do it that much."

Chloe scrunched up her face, "Aw, bummer…anyway."

Clark shook his head at her. He could tell she was excited. But what was so exciting about seeing his ship? 'Well I guess it's human nature to want to see something from another planet…' he thought.

He sighed, "Come on, follow me."

She grinned and followed right behind Clark as he led her over to the Storm Cellar. He looked around for any sign of his parents or anyone else. When he saw no sign of anyone he lifted the doors to the storm cellar and headed down the stairs. The light from outside lit a path down the stairs directly to the sheet covered UFO.

Once she was off the last step, Chloe peered out from behind Clark. "Is that it?" She pointed to it. Clark nodded without a word. Chloe slowly made her way over to it and circled around it for a minute. She bit her lip and looked up at Clark. She gripped the sheet in one hand. "May I?"

Clark motioned for her to go ahead.

She took a breath and tore the sheet off. Her eyes widened once she saw it. "Whoa." She dropped the sheet next to the dark grey object and stared down at it. "This is what you came down in?"

Clark nodded, "Yea."

Chloe looked from the ship to her over 6 feet tall boyfriend and back to the ship, "But it's so…"

"Small?"

"Yea."

"Well I was just a baby when my parents, my biological parents, sent me here." He explained and walked over to her. He still didn't like to get too close to it, anything that reminded him that he was just a visitor from another planet, made him really uncomfortable.

Chloe crouched down and brushed her fingertips against the ship. "It feels like nothing I've ever felt before."

"It's not exactly made with elements that are found on Earth, Chloe. I'm sure Krypton's elements are nothing like's Earth's."

Chloe turned her attention from the ship to Clark, "Way to brag Clark."

His jaw dropped and his eyes widened, "Uh…what…I…"

Chloe chuckled at him, "I'm kidding. Relax."

He closed his mouth and smiled sheepishly. Chloe laughed again and shook her head. "You."

Clark was about to respond when he heard someone call his name.

"What is it?" Chloe asked.

"Shhh." Clark placed a finger to his lips signaling her to be quiet. He took a step toward the stairs and he and Chloe both froze when they heard Jonathan Kent's voice calling for his son. And he didn't sound too far away either.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Chloe looked at Clark, alarmed. He mirrored her expression and they both stood there frozen.

"Clark?" Jonathan Kent's baritone voice rang again now even closer.

Clark swallowed and glanced down at the sheet at Chloe's feet. "Cover it!" He whisper yelled. Chloe quickly reacted and grabbed the sheet from the floor and threw it over the ship. Clark super sped around the ship to fix it to look like it did before.

Chloe heard foot steps right outside the storm cellar. Clark quickly headed up the steps and Chloe followed behind him. Clark reached the top step before he saw his father standing in front of him. Chloe rushed up behind him. She saw Jonathan's gaze flicker from his son, to her, and back to his son.

She looked at Clark like a child looked at her parent when the child knows she did something wrong and the parent is going to get blamed for it.

Jonathan crossed his arm over his chest and got the stern look on his face. "Clark, what were you doing in the storm cellar?"

Clark quickly glanced down at Chloe the back up at Jonathan, "Well, I…"

"It was my fault Mr. Kent." Chloe quickly put in. Clark and Jonathan both looked at her.

"Chloe…" Clark didn't want her to take the blame.

"No….it is. Mr. Kent, I wanted Clark to show me his ship. Please don't blame him, it was my fault."

Jonathan stared at Chloe a few moments and then looked at his son. "I'm sure clark appreciates you trying to take the blame for him but this is not your problem." He told chloe all the while never breaking eye contact with Clark.

Clark shifted a bit under his father's intense gaze. He may have been the strongest person in the world but he felt like a mouse being stared down by a lion.

Jonathan didn't even seem to mind anymore that Chloe was there, "Clark, what is that was someone else? It could have been anyone, wondering around and then they would have found it there."

"But it wasn't anyone else."

"But it could have been." Jonathan sighed, "I'm just trying to protect you Clark."

Clark nodded, "I know that dad, but it was my mistake, if someone found out about me…I would have to deal with it myself."

Jonathan's eyebrows furrowed. "Clark, you may want to risk that but I don't. If anyone found out about you they would take you away…"

"I know."

"…and lock you up…"

"I know, Dad."

"…and experiment on you.."

"DAD!" Both Jonathan and Chloe looked surprised at Clark's outburst. Chloe noticed that clark looked extremely upset. Not that she could really blame him…If her own father was telling her that she would be locked away and become a lab rat she would freak out a bit too.

"I know that. You don't think I know that?"

Jonathan's gaze softened just a bit, "Clark, son, you are the best thing that ever happened to me and your mother. Your mother wished for you and her wish came t rue. Did we ever tell you that story?"

Clark shook his head.

"It was the day of the meteor shower, your mother and I went into town and into Nell's flower shop. Your mother found Lana in a fairy princess costume with a little magic wand. Lana asked her if she wanted a wish. Your mother said she did. I knew what she wished for. A child to call her own. And then we found you in the field. From the moment she saw you, she knew, that her wish had come true." Jonathan placed his hand on Clark's shoulder, "Clark, you are our son, our only son, and we love you very much. We are willing to do anything to protect you…you're not an ordinary boy Clark and some people in this world are crazy. They would do anything for money. And a boy from another planet with special abilities is a perfect target."

Clark was staring at the ground, his face solemn. The three of them were quiet after that.

Thoughts were running wild through the minds of the Kents. But to Chloe the farm was deathly silent. All she could hear was Clark's quiet breathing and the birds chirping over head.

Chloe felt extremely awkward just standing there. Mr. Kent was right…this wasn't her problem.

Of course now that Clark was her boyfriend, she also felt she needed to protect him. She kicked her self mentally. 'Chloe, you stupid girl! If Clark was caught just now it would have been all your fault. You just HAD to see his ship. Like seeing the guy move faster than a speeding bullet is not good enough proof that he really is from another planet. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'

"Well, I'll just go then…" She started to head off when she heard Clark call her name. She turned back to face him.

"You don't have to go." She could see the longing in Clark's eyes. He wanted her to stay. And she wanted to stay to comfort him. But would Mr. Kent allow her to stay?

Jonathan looked from his son to Chloe. Chloe looked at him as if waiting for permission to stay. Jonathan simply nodded and turned back to Clark, "I'll talk to you later Clark."

Clark nodded silently and watched quietly as his father walked back into the house. Once Jonathan disappeared into the house Chloe approached Clark. Clark sensed her presence next to him and turned to her slightly. He saw her blue eyes looking up at him with concern, "Are you alright?"

He nodded a bit, "Yes, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry I got you into that."

He turned his head to the side slightly and furrowed his brow, "It's not your fault Chloe."

She sighed, "Yes it is. I wanted to see it. You warned me that your dad would have been angry and yet I pushed you to take me to see it." She turned a bit away from Clark, "I bet Lana never would have done that…" she mumbled.

"Chloe!" She heard Clark scold her. "You're not Lana. And who cares what Lana would have done. Lana is not my girlfriend…you are."

Chloe slowly turned back to Clark. "I know… but…what if somebody did find you?"

Clark let out a frustrated sigh.

"Then it would have been all my fault. You would have been exposed to the whole world and you would be hurt and cooped up like an animal and…it would have been all my fault and…"

"Chloe." Clark suddenly interrupted her. "It was my choice to show. I wanted you to see it. Chloe you are a major special part of my life now and you deserve to see everything. And that includes my ship." He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "And besides, no one did find me. There's nothing to worry about." He lightly kissed the side of her face.

Chloe smiled gently.

"Clark?"

"Hmmm…"

"I've been wondering something."

He turned her gently in his arms so he could look at her face. "What is it?"

"Whenever I mention the car accident you seem guilty, why is that?"

Once again he got the guilty expression on his face. He dropped his arms to his sides and stepped back a bit. She stared up at him in anticipation.

He couldn't bring himself to make eye-contact so he just stared at the ground. "Because…" He sighed… "Because, I could have stopped it."

Chloe furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"With all I can do…I could have easily stopped the car from hitting you…or got you out of your car before it hit you."

"Clark…." She reached out and placed her hand on his muscular arm. "What happened was not your fault."

He shook his head a bit.

"Listen to me. Just because you have super powers doesn't mean you can be everywhere at once."

He finally looked up to meet her gaze. "I don't blame you for what happened. Accidents happen, especially car accidents. And it was partly my fault. I was so tired that night, I just didn't see the guy coming in time to get away."

She smiled just a little at him, "You blame yourself for too much Clark. Just because you're different doesn't make you responsible for everything different that happens in Smallville."

He shrugged lightly, "I was sent here for a reason Chloe."

"And that reason is…"

He looked off into the distance. "I don't know…"

All he could think about now was Jor-El's voice telling him that he had a destiny. What destiny? And why did his destiny involve hurting the people he loved?


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I am so sorry!!!! I have been so busy lately and I have major writers block for this story!! I know where I want to go with this but I just can't write what leads up to that point!! **_

_**So anyway, who else was psyched when Pete was on Smallville on Thursday! When I read the info on my IO thing and I saw Pete's name I started squealing like a little fan girl. I went around for like half an hour squealing, 'Pete's back! Pete's back!' and please tell me that someone else was annoyed that Chloe and Jimmy are getting back together again. They were cute in the beginning but now it's annoying and since ex mentioned that Chloe is still in love with Clark, my Chlark fan girl inside is going crazy. Ha! **_

_**Important note!!!!!!!: Okay, towards the end of this chapter my quotation button wouldn't work anymore!! So please just bare with the '' quote marks for now. **_

The bell rang and signaled the beginning of second period. Mrs. Stewart, who taught tenth grade English, walked into her class room. She found students still out of their seats or in their seats but talking. Except for those choice few that were suck ups.

She picked up a text book and dropped it on her desk. The room immediately became quiet. She smiled gently, "Thank you. Good Morning Class."

There was a mumble of 'good morning's' from the teenagers. "I have your assignments from last week. I received some very creative responses." She took the pile of papers and walked down the rows handing out the papers. She handed Clark his paper and paused a moment near his desk, "Very well done Mr. Kent. I just loved the name you chose, 'Krypton'! Absolutely wonderful!" And with that said she continued on her way down the row.

Clark saw Chloe looking at him from beside him. He turned his head, "What is it?" She looked around and then leaned in closer to him, "You wrote about Krypton?"

Clark shrugged.

"If your parents ever found out that you openly told your teacher about Krypton, they would kill you!"

Clark sighed, "It's not a big deal Chloe, and it's just a homework assignment."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him a bit and then sat back up in her seat. She looked at the paper in front of her and saw that the kid wrote about Mars. She tolled her eyes, there was no life on Mars. Or maybe…there was. She glanced back over at Clark. She once told herself that there were no such things as aliens but now she's dating one! She laughed inwardly, 'leave it to me to date an extra terrestrial' not that it was a bad thing though. Clark Kent was an amazing person. He was kind and caring, generous, sweet and so utterly adorable-that was unlike any alien she had ever read about or heard of. Every time she looked at him, she had to remind herself that he wasn't human. But it didn't matter, none of it mattered, she wouldn't care if he was made from mud, she would still love him just the same. She looked down at her notebook and noticed she had drawn a heart. She shook her head, 'look at you Chloe, you're acting like a school girl with her first crush'

Suddenly she just realized something. Clark was alone, of course he had her and his parents and his friends but he was alone. He was the only one of his kind left-The only Kryptonian to live on. She felt the sudden urge to go over and hug him, but since it was the middle of class, she couldn't. She could only imagine what he might be feeling. Not only to not be part of the human species but to be the only one left of his kind.

"Chloe." She turned her head and broke her thoughts as she heard his voice. He looked and sounded so concerned; she just bit her lip lightly. 'Most amazing guy on the planet…' she repeated in her head.

"Are you ok? You're kind of spacing out."

Chloe nodded and smiled, "Yea, I'm fine."

"Miss. Sullivan!" Chloe immediately turned her attention to the teacher, "You just returned, I do not want to give you a detention." Chloe nodded silently and heard giggling from the back of the room. She looked over her shoulder and saw the cheerleaders smirking. She glared at them but that only caused them to smirk more. She felt like she wanted to go over there and punch those preppy snots to the ground.

She suddenly felt a warm hand over hers. She quickly shifted her vision over to Clark and saw him reaching out to her slightly, "Relax Chlo, it's alright."

She nodded slightly and turned back to the front of the room. Clark sat up in his seat and listened to the teacher.

When the bell rang, Chloe and Clark went to their separate classes and made plans to meet each other for lunch.

By the time sixth period came around, Chloe arrived at the cafeteria first. As she waited for Clark to arrive she saw the cheerleaders walking down the hall. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. As the girls approached her they started to laugh and they stopped in front of her. "Hi Chloe." One of the girls, Brittany, said. Chloe said nothing and she just glared at them.

"So you can and Clark Kent are together, huh?"

Chloe still didn't say anything but wanted to strangle the girls for bringing Clark into the matter.

"I hope you realize…" started a red head named Kat, "…that Clark is only going with you to get Lana jealous."

Chloe swallowed. She felt a sudden dread run through her at the mention of Lana Lang. She knew it wasn't true, Clark would never do that. And that's what she told them.

"Oh, but he would and he is. And you realize it's working." Gina, a blonde, pointed over Chloe's shoulder to Lana who was seated at a table all alone with a sour look on her face. "Once Clark realizes that Lana wants him, he'll dump you and run to her."

Apparently the girls noticed the apprehension on Chloe's face and they grinned, "You know it's true don't you? There's no denying it honey…" Brittany flipped her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder, "Clark Kent is in love with Lana Lang and always will be." Gina leaned in so she was only inches away from Chloe's face, "You're just a pawn he needs to get to his queen." She sneered and the girls laughed and entered the cafeteria.

Chloe swallowed and stood against the wall silently thinking. Clark said he was over Lana and she knew deep in her heart that Clark wouldn't lie to her but why did her mind keep telling her differently. Because some cheerleaders told her? Those girls were always spreading rumors about everyone.

Out of nowhere she felt her eyes spring up with tears and tried to force them back. She didn't want to be one of those girls who cried over every little thing. But this wasn't just any little thing. It was Clark and she couldn't stand the thought of losing him especially to Lana. She bit her lip to try and stop the tears that rimmed her eyes. But it was to no avail and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and placed her head in her hands. She didn't know how long she was standing there before she heard a voice that normally picked up her darkest day but now only caused more pain. She felt his hand on her upper arm, "Chloe, what's the matter?"

Chloe looked up to him with tear filled eyes, "Lana." Was all she said. His eye brows furrowed in confusion, "What about Lana?"

She sniffed and crossed her arms, "Are you using me to get to her?"

Clark's eyebrows shot up and he looked at her seriously, "Chloe that's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is." Clark reconfirmed, "Chloe, we've been over this! I don't like Lana- at least not in the way I used to. Why can't you trust me?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes, "Because the day of my accident you blew off working with me at the Torch to go drool over Lana at the Talon…" she saw the guilt creep back up onto his face, "And then all of a sudden out of nowhere, you start liking me and forget all about Lana. Sorry Clark, things don't work that way, you never forget your first love – it's human nature." When she said it she didn't realize she said it. At first she was confused as to why Clark was looking at her with such hurt. She replayed over in her head what she said to him and the last phrase seemed to repeat in her mind over and over again. She suddenly gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. "Clark, Clark, I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…I said it before I…"

"Chloe…" His voice was soft. It was the tone of voice he got when he was upset but didn't want to show it too much, "I don't know how to explain how it happened…all I know is that it did. I…" He sighed… "I'm sorry if you don't believe that." He gave her the most pitiful, saddened look that just made her forget all about the fight about Lana. She knew she was upset with him but she didn't remember what about. Clark walked into the cafeteria and Chloe turned her head to watch but didn't follow him. She saw Lana look up from the table, lock eyes with Clark and then look down. Chloe quickly shifted her vision back to Clark and looked for a reaction. He looked completely unemotional. She sighed. How could she be so stupid! Clark didn't like Lana anymore. Clark was right, she should trust him and she should believe him. They just had their first fight as a couple and she really hoped it didn't hurt their newly found relationship.

She sighed once more and walked into the cafeteria. As she was passing the table Lana was at she heard her name being called. She turned and saw Lana looking up at her. "Chloe, can I talk to you?"

Chloe stared at her a moment and then nodded, "Sure." She sat down across from her.

"Listen, I heard what those girls were saying to you…"

Chloe looked down. 'oh great here it comes…'

"And I'm so sorry."

'What?'

"I'm not trying to steal Clark from you. I mean Clark's a really nice guy, and he's a great friend but that's all he is to me. Really, I'm not really ready to go out into the dating field yet, you know since the whole thing with Whitney. And Clark really likes you; I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. Even before your accident." Lana smiled gently, "Please don't worry about it anymore, I was just upset because you guys didn't tell me that you were going out and I had to find out from word in the hallway. And I have hung around those girls for years and you shouldn't believe anything they say. If you're not a cheerleader they want to make you suffer and they go straight for your weak point, which in your case is Clark."

Chloe looked over at her, "Does everyone know that?"

"That Clark is your weakness? Yes."

"Really?" She sighed and rested her head on her hand, "How pathetic is that, my weakness is a guy."

"No it's love. Chloe, you love Clark, and because you love him you don't want anything to happen to him or have him taken away from you."

Chloe realized that she was right. "But isn't that being selfish?"

Lana shrugged lightly, "Maybe…but its normal. Look Chloe, I don't want you guys fighting because of me." She looked over her shoulder and scanned the cafeteria. She found Clark near Pete. She turned back to Chloe, "Go talk to him. If I know Clark like I think I do, he can't stay mad at anyone for too long."

Chloe smirked. That was true. She looked over to Clark on the other side of the cafeteria. "Okay." She got up and started to head over to him, but paused right near Lana, "Oh and Lana?"

Lana looked up at Chloe, "Yea?"

"I'm sorry for not telling you about me and Clark."

Lana smiled warmly, "It's alright."

Chloe smiled and nodded and then headed towards Clark. She saw Clark turn his head over his shoulder. She was close enough to hear him say good bye to Pete and then walk towards the exit of the cafeteria.

Chloe stopped where she was and sighed. Pete approached her and watched Clark leave with her. "So, you two had your first fight huh?"

Chloe sighed again and looked to Pete, "Yea. And about something really stupid. Which I admit is my fault, me and my paranoid fantasies about how Clark is still into Lana."

"Why don't you go find him and apologize?" Pete suggested.

"Yeah, Pete. Clark is good at avoiding people when he doesn't want to talk to them. For all I know he could be halfway to Metropolis."

"Somehow I doubt that, he's probably in the library or something. If you say you want to talk to him I'm sure he'll listen."

Chloe sighed and sat down on a near by chair, "I don't know Pete…I said something that really hurt him."

Pete pulled up a chair beside her, "What did you say?"

Chloe leaned closer to Pete and whispered really softly, "Clark really doesn't like it when anyone brings up where he comes from and what he is. In my stupid rant about how he still loves Lana I accidentally called him human."

"But that's what he wants…to be human." He said quietly.

"Yes, but he knows he's not…he's really hurt Pete. I feel really bad.'

'Try talking to him tomorrow, I'm sure he'll come around.'

Chloe rested her elbow on the table and placed her head in her hand. 'I hope so.'

_**Again I apologize for the wait and the shortness of this chapter!! There is going to be something big happening soon!!! So don't go away!!! **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Hello! I've been getting complaints of why I haven't updated…and it was the same as last chapter…I have writers block!! But hopefully next chapter will run smoother and the way I end this chapter you're gonna hate me if I don't update soon. **_

_**I've been such a fangirl lately, I went to the store yesterday and saw green STRIDE gum and bought one of those bags that have like three packs in it. And bought it just because it was on Smallville. And I've been privileged enough to talk to Michael Rosenbaum, so really I've been in fangirl mode for the last few days. And I also just realized that my school newspaper is called 'The Talon'.**_

Chloe entered the Smallville High library and glanced around. There were not many people in the library; just a few kids huddled over the cluster of computers in a corner of the room.

She knew that there were a bunch of tables hidden behind the book shelves and made her way towards that direction hoping that Clark would be there. The aisle between the book shelves seemed to go on forever until she reached the end. She looked around and saw a girl sitting near the heater texting on her phone and popping her gum.

She sighed when she saw all the other tables were empty. She went to turn back when she saw Clark emerging from another aisle. She watched him silently as he sat down and opened the book.

She took a breath and walked forward and paused by his side. "Hi Clark." She said softly.

He looked up from his book at the sound of his name. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw her and he stared silently.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, "Can I sit down?"

"Sure." He said quietly and watched her as she sat down. They both sat there for a few moments in complete a complete awkward silence.

"So listen," Chloe finally broke the tension, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, really, really, truly sorry. What I said to you was completely out of line. You're right; I should believe you and I should trust you. It was just my ridiculous fantasies taking over my brain. I should take your word for it when you tell me you're over Lana and you don't go all goo-goo eyed every time you see her in the hallway anymore so that should have been another clue. And that whole crack about the 'human nature' thing I wasn't thinking clearly and I opened my big mouth before I thought about what I was saying as always when it comes to you and…"

She was cut off by Clark's lips on hers. She didn't even have time to respond before Clark pulled away. She blinked at him, surprised.

He smiled that adorable smile that made her go weak at the knees. She opened her mouth to say something, paused, then continued, "I take it I'm forgiven?"

He took her hand, "Yes Chloe, you're forgiven."

She bit her lip, trying to suppress the huge grin that tried to fill up face.

Clark sighed lightly, "I do tend to get a bit emotional over some things…"

Chloe shook her head, "No, you had every right to be upset Clark. I made an outrageous accusation about you and Lana and then to top of it all off I pulled the one thing that I'm sure hurts you even more than Kryptonite."

"Well, I won't lie to you Chloe that hurt, it did but I think the fact that you didn't trust me was the major contributor. You're my best friend, my girlfriend, the one person that I can confide in, other than my parents…I love you Chloe."

The shock was evident on the young blonde's face. Her jaw dropped and she could do nothing but stare at him for a good thirty seconds. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…" She finally spoke, "Back the Kent train up. Just five minutes ago you were mad at me and now you're telling me you love me." 'Shut up Chloe! You've wanted to hear those words out of Clark's mouth since the eighth grade!'

But Clark only looked sheepish and shrugged helplessly, "Well it's not like it just came to me now, I've been wanting to tell you but then we had the fight, and even then I still had those feelings for you, I mean people fight all the time, doesn't mean you love them any less right?"

Chloe grinned at him.

"What?"

"You're babbling."

Clark shut his mouth and once again looked sheepish.

Chloe chuckled, "Hey, it's alright. I babble all the time…especially when talking about my feelings. It happens."

Clark smiled at her and she smiled in return.

The next few months were perfect. They hadn't fought since except for the occasional squabbles that came from their friendship but it hardly lasted five minutes. The two were practically inseparable, they were seen everywhere together. No matter what either of them did, they always did it together.

To practically everyone in Smallville High, they were the cutest couple. Even more so than Lana and Whitney. All the girls wished they could be Chloe, not only because she had the nicest, sweetest, cutest, guy in all of Smallville but because of the relationship the two had. It was like fantasy. Chloe was Cinderella and Clark was her Prince Charming.

After school, they took the bus to the Kent farm, just like they did every day to do homework together in Clark's 'Fortress of Solitude'.

They got off at the bus stop and walked towards the house, hand in hand. Once they got in the house, Clark called a hello to his parents. They walked into the kitchen where Martha and Jonathan sat at the table. As always, they smiled up at their son and his girlfriend. "Hello Clark, Chloe, you two have a good day at school?"

"It was fine." He answered grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the table.

Chloe rolled her eyes but smiled slightly, "Clark totally told off this guy."

Jonathan lifted his brow and looked to his son, "Oh?"

He shrugged, "He was bugging Chloe, I wasn't just going to stand there and watch him emotionally torture her."

"Everyone was shocked that shy Clark Kent had the guts to stand up to him. Besides Clark, he's like the strongest guy in the school and since no one knows that Clark can lift a tractor with one finger, everyone is afraid to stand up to him." She turned to Clark, "And he wasn't emotionally torturing me, I've heard worse, he was just being a jerk, an immature jerk."

"Still, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I just stood there .I didn't even yell at him, I just told him to back off and leave her alone."

"And gave him the coldest glare that I have ever seen." Chloe added. "That guy knew Clark meant business."

"Well just be careful son, you never know what might happen."

"I would never use my abilities to hurt someone Dad, even if I was just a normal person I wouldn't be able to hurt someone like that."

"I know you wouldn't do it on purpose but a lot of things can happen when you're angry. Humans can do some pretty bad damage if they get angry, imagine what you could do."

Clark shuddered just thinking about it, "I'd rather not. But I didn't feel like hitting him."

Jonathan shook his head lightly, "That doesn't matter Clark, if he felt the need the hit you, he would still get hurt." At Chloe's perplexed look, he elaborated, "Clark's invulnerably also makes his skin like iron. If someone punched him, it would be like punching stainless steel, they would break their fist."

"Damn Clark, you are seriously the perfect body guard, you should be on the secret service."

Clark smirked slightly and shook his head.

"I'm serious!" She exclaimed with a grin.

"Let me finish high school before I start saving the world ok Chlo?"

"Fine, I was just saying!"

Clark chuckled, "We'll see you guys later." He told his parents, "We're gonna go up to the loft."

Martha smiled, "Alright."

The couple walked out of the house and up to the loft. They got settled and comfortable and started their work.

They worked on the homework they had in the classes they both had together and would help each other in the other classes. Well mostly Clark helped Chloe. Clark pretty much had a photographic memory….which he didn't even realize until Chloe pointed it out one day.

About an hour into their work, Clark stopped and looked at Chloe. "Chloe?"

"Hmm?" She was chewing on the end of pen as she read the paper on the floor.

"Do you want to go out tonight?"

She lifted her head and grinned, "Sure, what were you thinking?"

He shrugged, "Nothing special, maybe just the Talon. We haven't really had an 'official' date in a while."

"Yea, that's perfect."

He smiled, "Great…I was thinking we could hang out here for a while and go at like 7?"

She nodded, "Awesome."

He nodded and went back to his homework. After about another half an hour they both finished and decided to talk. They both leaned their backs up against the couch and sat close enough that their shoulders were touching.

They talked like that for hours until Martha came up the stairs and asked Chloe if she wanted to stay for dinner.

Clark told her that they were going to go out for dinner and since it was a Friday night, she had no problem with that.

It was five to seven before they started to head out. Chloe called her father and told him her date plans and he was fine with it as well.

Clark wanted to take the truck but Chloe suggested that they go his way. Clark knew it was her favorite way to get around. "It's easier, faster and doesn't kill the environment!" she once told him. He had to agree with her but it was also very risky. If someone saw two people appear out nowhere especially in Smallville there would be questioning and questioning is bad.

But Chloe convinced him to go his way.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck. Her favorite part. And Clark scooped her up into his arms. He sped with her into town and stopped in the alleyway behind the Talon. Chloe was laughing by the time Clark came back into normal speed. Clark was smiling down at her.

He placed her back down on the ground and she removed her arms from around his neck. "That will never get old, I'm telling you."

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Come on." She slipped her arm around him and the two walked out of the alleyway completely unaware of the hooded figure looming in the corner of the dark alleyway.

Clark and Chloe walked into the Talon and saw the place was pretty crowded. Lana stood behind the counter quickly rushing back and forth between customers and the coffee machine.

They saw two empty seats right in front of the counter and took a seat. Lana noticed them immediately and gave them a half wave and tired smile. They waved back and Lana winced when she heard someone yell for her. "I'll be there in a minute!" She called back. She made her way out from behind the counter and walked over to them, "Hey guys."

"Hey Lana." They replied in unison.

"You seem pretty busy." Clark noted.

Lana sighed, "Yea, and I'm short on help tonight. And one can only move so fast you know? So do you want anything?"

"Well, since you are busy, we'll just have something simple. Clark ate enough snacks earlier to feed the whole state of Kansas and I'm not really that hungry."

Clark grinned sheepishly and Lana smirked, "Chloe, I'll get you your usual. Clark, what would you like?"

"I'll have the same as Chloe."

Lana nodded, "Alright, and I'll just bring out a bowl of bread or something."

"Yea, that's fine." Chloe said.

"WAITRESS!" Lana sighed and turned her head and politely said, "Coming!" She turned back to Clark and Chloe, "I'll be back shortly."

They nodded and when Lana was gone Chloe turned to Clark. "Do you know how much caffeine I drink? You're going to have such a sugar rush, I do not want to be your parents tonight, and I don't want to even imagine a hyper super-powered boy."

He gave her a look, "Chloe, it would take a whole lot of sugar to make me hyper. As much caffeine is in your drink, I'm sure it won't make me bounce off…"

"Or put holes in…" Chloe muttered.

"….any walls." He finished dryly.

"Alright but if your parents need to remodel a wall don't go crying to me."

Fifteen minutes later, Lana returned with their order. "Sorry it took so long." She said as she set it down. "These people won't leave me alone. Where is Lex when you need him?"

Chloe snorted, "Some how I can't see Lex waiting tables."

"No, but he could stop the madness in this place. They sure would listen to him better than they listen to me."

Chloe shrugged. She still didn't trust that guy.

"Anyway, Thanks Lana." Clark said. She smiled gently and nodded and then was called away by yet another frustrated customer.

"I take it you don't like Lex?" Clark asked her.

"He's a Luthor, and all Luthors are the same."

Clark furrowed his brow, "You're judging him before you get to know him. Lex is different from his father…he doesn't want to ever be like him."

"Yea well, everyone turns out to be the person they promised they'd never become. If I were you, I wouldn't trust him as easily as you do."

"You're starting to sound like my father."

"Well your father is a smart man. I'm sure he knows the Luthors better than us. As far as Lex goes, the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree."

Clark was silent for a moment then he continued, "Lex may have some problems but he's not like Lionel. He has flaws but so does everybody."

"I just don't trust him is all…you want to befriend him, go ahead but I'm not going to go jumping in front of any bullets for him."

Clark sighed and took the cup of coffee into his hands. He took a sip and realized that Chloe was right. It did have a lot of sugar but not nearly enough to have him bouncing off of walls (or putting holes in as Chloe suggested).

"Ok, let's change the topic. This is supposed to be a date not debate team."

Clark nodded softly, "Right."

And from there the mood only lightened up. Although they hung around eachother everyday they never ran out of anything to say to each other. They sat there for hours just talking and drinking their caffeinated beverages and nibbling on bread.

By the time they were done, the Talon had cleared out and only a few people remained. Lana collapsed on a chair and rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes.

Clark and Chloe approached her. "Hey Lana." Chloe called.

Lana opened her eyes slightly and smiled at them, "Hey guys…"

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Clark asked.

Lana looked around, "If you could help clean up a little, I would be eternally grateful."

Chloe shrugged, "No problem."

Lana sighed in relief, "Thank you guys, so much. I really appreciate it."

Clark smiled, "Hey, what are friends for?"

So, Clark and Chloe helped around as much as possible. They brought dirty dishes and cups to the kitchen in the back, and swept the floors, and wiped down the counters.

Lana, after relaxing for a few minutes, got back up and went to the register and started to count the money. Clark and Chloe rested up against the counter.

Lana looked to them and smiled, "I have to thank you again. I don't know what I would do without you."

Chloe smiled, "Anytime Lana. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to use the little girls room." She ran off towards the restrooms and Clark smirked watching her until she disappeared. He turned back to Lana. "Clark, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you take out the garbage? The garbage cans are right outside the back door."

He nodded, "Of course, no problem." He grabbed the bags of garbage and headed towards the back door.

Only about a minute later Chloe returned, "Hey, where did Clark go?" She asked looking around.

"Oh, he's throwing out the trash for me." Lana explained.

"Oh." She sat back down and looked around silently. She was still a little awkward around Lana. She knew she had no reason to be since Clark assured her over and over again that he was hers and only hers but just remembering how Clark used to feel for her made her feel awkward around Lana.

The other few people left and Lana cleaned up their tables and the Talon grew earily silent.

Chloe looked down at her watch. Clark has been gone for almost ten minutes. Lana came out of the kitchen and Chloe noticed that she seemed a bit confused as well. Chloe got up and walked over to the counter, "Okay, seriously, how long does it take to throw out garbage?"

Lana shrugged, "Maybe he went to the bathroom?"

Chloe shook her head, "No, I would have seen him come in." 'Or maybe he sped in and I didn't see him come in…still the door would have opened and closed somewhat.' Dread suddenly coursed through her veins. 'He's invulnerable Chloe…' She told herself. 'He can't get hurt.'

'Except with Meteor Rocks' another thought popped into her head. 'And who knows how many meteor rocks are in this town…'

"I'll go see what's taking him so long." Chloe said trying to keep calm. But her voice betrayed her and Lana's eyes widened when she heard the tone to Chloe's voice. But Lana could only nod.

Chloe swallowed and headed towards the back door. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she pulled open the back door to reveal the dark alleyway. She stepped outside and turned her head from side to side, scanning the alleyway. It was dark and quiet. Too quiet. She walked towards the street and looked out into the road to see if Clark was on the sidewalk or looking at another store. She saw no sign of him.

She started to take deep breaths to calm her nerves and tried to reassure herself that everything was fine. 'Everything is fine. Chloe…you're over thinking things. Clark is fine…he probably did come in to the bathroom and I was just not noticing…boys can take a long time in the bathroom right? Right. It's fine…it's fine. I'm going to go back in there and see Clark sitting and talking to Lana…yes.' She headed back towards the door when something caught her eye. The toe of a very familiar looking boot.

Her heart once again started to pick up speed and she, very slowly, step by step, walked over to the garbage cans. It felt like time had literally slowed down and she was just walking the same few steps over and over again silently dreading why Clark's boot was on the floor and why Clark was no where to be seen. She didn't even realize her hand started to shake. She finally reached the garbage cans and peered over them.

'Oh My God…'


	11. Chapter 11

She could feel the scream in the back of her throat but when she opened her mouth nothing would come out. She felt tears sting her eyes and her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest, not that she noticed that at the moment. She would have fainted if she knew she needed to stay awake. The sight before her scared her even more than the headlights coming at her a few months back.

There, in the dark alleyway, behind the Talon, lay her invulnerable boyfriend in a VERY vulnerable state. The first thing she noticed was the hole in his chest, his blood soaked shirt, and the small puddle of blood surrounding him. He was unconscious and very pale.

She collapsed to her knees beside him, not even feeling the pain as her knees collided with the pavement. She tore her jacket off and pressed it to his chest to help stop the bleeding.

Her mind was racing, tears were running heavily down her cheeks, her heart was pounding but she had to be strong. But she couldn't help but let out a sobbing breath.

Before she knew it her jacket was soaked in blood. "Clark…please…." She sobbed.

She took out her cell phone from her pocket, fumbling with it, her tears blurring her vision. She pressed number 2 on her keypad which speed dialed the Kent home.

The phone seemed to ring for ever as she stared down, shaking, watching as Clark only kept bleeding intensively from his wound.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" She whispered frantically into the phone.

She heard the phone pick up and before Jonathan Kent could even finish saying "Kent", Chloe very quickly squeaked his name.

There was a pause on the other line for a moment, "Chloe?"

"Mr. Kent, Clark's hurt, please…you need to get here immediately." She tried to remain calm but she couldn't help but sob.

"Chloe, what do you mean? What happened?" Jonathan's voice sounded confused but she could hear the worry and fear in his voice.

"I…I don't know! Mr. Kent, please there's no time for questions, please, we're at the Talon." She looked back down at Clark and saw her jacket was completely blood soaked and just getting worse. "In they alleyway…please, hurry."

"I'm on my way." The she heard him hang up and she closed her phone and looked back down at Clark. "Hold on Clark…"

It seemed like forever, but in reality was on a few minutes, before she heard the engine of the Kent's truck and saw the headlights on the dark street. She ran out of the alley and stood where the Kent's could see her.

Mr. Kent stopped short right in front of the Talon and saw Chloe. He heard Martha gasp from beside him and quickly got out of the car. He approached Chloe and saw that her pants and shirt were splattered with blood and she had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Chloe, are you ok?"

She nodded, "But I don't know if Clark will be."

She turned her head and caught Martha's heart breaking gaze. She sobbed once and ran back over to Clark. Martha and Jonathan followed her and Martha cried out when she saw her son. "Oh my God, Clark!"

Jonathan's eyes widened. He bent down and slipped one hand under Clark's back and the other under his legs. With much struggle he lifted his son into his arms.

"I'll call an ambulance." Martha said quickly and grabbed her cell phone."

"No." Jonathan's voice was strained.

"No?!" Martha asked incredulously.

Jonathan shook his head, "We can't take him to a hospital, Martha."

"Jonathan!"

"Chloe, there are blankets in the back of the truck, lay them out in the back." Jonathan told her.

Chloe nodded and ran and very quickly laid the blankets in the back of the truck.

"Jonathan, he could be dying!" Martha exclaimed and followed Jonathan to the truck.

Jonathan very carefully placed Clark on the blankets. He took off his own jacket and pressed it to Clark's wound. The blood flow had slowed down slightly.

"Martha, if we take him to a hospital, they doctors will have to know that Clark isn't human. Not only do the doctors not know how to treat an unknown species but they will go and tell the world."

"Jonathan, this is our son! I know you don't want to risk having his secret exposed but would you rather him dead?!" Martha exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "Look at him Jonathan!"

Jonathan did so and saw what she saw. Never in his whole life has Clark ever been sick, never has he been cut up, nor come crying home with a scraped knee or elbow. And now here he lay with a deep, gushing wound in his chest. His only son, who he loved more than anyone could ever know.

That little boy who came crashing down to Earth 13 years ago. That little boy who looked up at him and called him 'daddy'. That little boy who grew up to be a super-powered teenager. His little boy. And his little boy needed his help now, and he knew what he had to do.

"Chloe get in the car." He said suddenly, "Martha, the keys are in the ignition. We're going to the hospital."

Martha sighed in relief and ran over to the driver's side of the car. She hopped in and started the engine. Chloe quickly followed suit.

"Hold on son." Jonathan brushed the hair out of Clark's face. "Help is on the way."

The truck took off with a jerk and Martha headed quickly to the Smallville Hospital.

The truck pulled up in front of the emergency wing. Jonathan hopped out of the truck and sprinted towards the entrance. He ran inside and slammed his hands down on the main desk.

The nurse looked up at him with a curious glance, "Can I help you sir?"

"My son needs help." Jonathan said frantically.

The nurse took a glance behind him and saw no one behind him, "Where is your son sir?"

"We have him outside in the car."

The woman raised her eyebrow.

"He's unconscious and he is seriously hurt."

"Why didn't you call an ambulance?"

Jonathan narrowed his eyes, "Because my son could be dying and waiting for one of the ambulances is not something I wanted to do!"

The nurse stared at him a moment, decided he was sincere and sent a few nurses outside with a gurney. Jonathan followed them and helped them as they loaded Clark onto the bed. Martha and Chloe got out of the car as well and followed the nursing staff back into the hospital.

"What happened to him?" One of the nurses asked.

"I don't know…we received a call from his girlfriend, Chloe," Jonathan motioned to Chloe, "and she told us that he was hurt."

"I don't know what happened either." Chloe said. "I just found him like this…I didn't hear him scream or any sounds at all."

They were heading down the hallway and they came to a door and the nurses pushed the double doors open. One of the nurses at the foot of the bed turned to Chloe, "I'm afraid you can't come past this point, Miss. You're going to have to wait in the waiting room."

Chloe stopped short and her jaw dropped. "But…"

"Chloe," Martha spoke up, "I'll come out and tell you when we know something."

Chloe shut her mouth and nodded softly and just watched as Clark disappeared behind the swinging doors. After she could no longer see him, she retreated back into the waiting room.

The nurses got Clark into a room and immediately ripped open his shirt and tended to his wound.

A few minutes later a doctor rushed in and ran over to Clark's side. He examined the wound, "It looks like a stab wound." He said. "Keep putting pressure on the wound." He told the nurses and walked over to Jonathan and Martha. "Hello, I'm Dr. Barts. I'll be tending to your son. What's his name?"

"Clark Joseph Kent." Martha said shakily.

"Date of birth?"

Jonathan and Martha's eyes widened.

"October 16th 1986." Jonathan quickly said. They never actually had a date of birth for Clark, rather the day he was found. And now they just subtracted three years assuming he was around three years old when they found him.

"Okay Mr. and Mrs. Kent, your son has lost a lot of blood through the wound. His bleeding seems to have slowed down but we are going to need to do a blood transfusion."

Jonathan and Martha felt their chests tighten.

"Doctor, I'm afraid that's impossible." Jonathan said.

Dr. Barts cocked his head to the side, "Impossible? No Mr. Kent I assure you it is not impossible, we do it all the time…"

"That's not what I meant." Jonathan calmly cut him off, "Clark can't receive any blood because…because..." He took a breath. "Because…he's not human."

**A/N: Bet you weren't expecting this to happen! **


	12. Chapter 12

Doctor Barts blinked at him

Doctor Barts blinked at him. "I beg your pardon sir?"

Jonathan sighed quietly. "Clark isn't human." He repeated.

A pause.

"Then what is he?"

Jonathan and Martha looked at each other then back at Dr. Barts. "An alien."

Dr. Barts raised an eyebrow and looked at the unconscious boy on the bed. He slowly turned his head back to Martha and Jonathan. "Are you telling me that that boy is not from Earth? But he looks so…is he in disguise?"

"No." Martha said quietly. "The Planet he comes from…his people look remarkably similar to human beings."

"What planet does he come from?"

Jonathan hated all these questions. He hated the fact that he had to tell the doctor in the first place. But he knew he had to save his son and this was the only way.

"A planet called Krypton….it was galaxies away."

"Was?"

"It was destroyed…Clark was sent here by his parents to save his life." Martha finished.

Dr. Barts' jaw dropped and he stared at Clark. The boy surely looked human enough…there was nothing about him that gave him away that he was an alien. He quickly glanced back over at the Kents and gave them a skeptical glance.

"Listen, if you don't believe us, test a blood sample."

Dr. Barts nodded. "I think I will do that."

So he took a blood sample. "I will be back with my analysis shortly." He told the Kents while holding the vial of Clark's blood. He left the room and the nurses in the room who were in the room for the whole confession stared warily at Jonathan, Martha and Clark.

As soon as the doctor left, Martha ran over to Clark's bedside. She didn't try to stop the tears that fell as she stared down at her boy. "Oh Clark, who would do this to you?" She ran her fingers very gently over the bloodstained gauze that covered the wound.

"Who could do this to him?" Jonathan voiced and then approached the bed. "Martha he's invulnerable to anything but the meteor rocks, that means that who ever did this to him knows his weakness or carries a weapon made out of kryptonite."

"Jonathan I don't want to worry about who did it right now." Her voice wavered. "All I need to know right now is that he's going to be okay. That I'm going to see his blue eyes, his bright smile, and hear his voice call me 'Mom'."

Jonathan walked over and took his wife into his arms. She cried onto his chest as he stroked her hair. "Shh…it'll be alright. You'll see, everything will be alright. Clark's going to be just fine."

She held him tightly, "I don't think I could lose him Jonathan." She shook her head.

"You're not going to lose him Martha; we're not going to lose him. He's strong willed. He won't give up. That's how we raised him."

Martha nodded quietly and Jonathan rested his chin on top of her head. He glanced at his son and saw that he only looked worse.

He watched as the nurse hooked him up to an IV and a heart monitor.

And that was the only sound the two of them heard. The sound of their son's heart beat beeping and filling the room. He felt Martha quivering in his arms and knew what she was thinking for he was thinking the exact same thing. If that pulsing line on the heart monitor had suddenly flat lined, if the beep had suddenly gone constant and never ending…

He shut his eyes tightly and turned his head away. He couldn't even bare the thought.

They remained in each other's embrace for a few more minutes in silence until Dr. Barts came back into the room.

Jonathan lifted his head hearing the door open and the two parted as they waited for Dr. Barts to say something.

"Well, I ran a test and his blood sample was unlike anything I had ever seen before…" He nodded, "It is definitely not human."

"So…what are you going to do?"

Dr. Barts sighed, "Honestly Mr. Kent, I have no idea. I don't know how to treat another species, I don't know what upsets him, or how his body even functions."

"Clark is invulnerable." Jonathan told him. "Normally, to anything but the meteor rocks."

"We did find traces of Meteor Rock in his wound."

"You cleaned it out though, right?" Martha asked worriedly.

"We got the traces of it that were still visible out of his wound but when I took the blood sample, there were traces of it in his blood."

"It's in his bloodstream?" Martha asked in horror.

"Yes…is that a problem?" he asked confused as to the tone of her voice.

"If Clark is exposed to the meteor rocks for too long it could kill him."

Dr. Barts bit the inside of his mouth lightly, "Exposed…you mean it could kill him if he was just in the same room with it?"

The two nodded.

Dr. Barts winced, "Then the situation we have right here is not good."

Jonathan looked down at his horror-stricken wife and then back to the doctor. "What do you mean?" Jonathan knew what he meant. He just didn't want to admit it to himself.

Dr. Barts sharply inhaled, "Well, if the substance is fatal to him from the outside of his body…it'll only kill him quicker from the inside."

Martha gasped and buried her head in Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan wrapped an arm around her in comfort.

"I'll do the best I can but this is like nothing I have ever dealt with before. I hope you understand."

Jonathan nodded quietly. He did understand…he didn't like it, but he understood.

"I'm sorry."

Chloe sat in one of the waiting room chairs. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She never felt so helpless in all of her life. Clark was practically dying and she couldn't do anything about it.

She must have looked like an absolute wreck but she didn't care at the moment. She quickly glanced longingly over at the door where Clark was rolled through and then went back to her curled up position.

"Chloe?"

Chloe lifted her head and saw Lex standing there. She was so upset she didn't even mind seeing him.

"I got a call from Lana, is Clark ok?"

Chloe sniffed and shook her head, "I don't think so Lex."

"What happened?"

Chloe took a breath, "I don't know…I just found him outside in the alley…he…I don't know."

Lex clenched his jaw and walked over to the main desk. "I need to see Clark Kent."

The nurse looked up, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

Lex's eyes narrowed, "Do you know who I am?"

"Mr. Luthor you are unauthorized personal. I cannot let you in there." The nurse behind the desk repeated.

"I don't think you understand…"

She sighed, "I understand just fine Mr. Luthor. You'll have to wait like everyone else."

"page the doctor." Lex instructed.

"Excuse me?"

"I need to speak with him."

The nurse sighed in frustration and pressed a button for the intercom system. "Paging Dr. Barts to the Emergency Desk, Dr. Barts to the emergency desk."

Lex held his head up in triumph and looked towards the doors and waited for the doctor to emerge.

Chloe moved to a different seat so she could watch more closely.

Lex turned to look at Chloe, "I'll make sure he's alright."

Chloe nodded softly. Right now she didn't care who did what or how, she wanted Clark alive.

The doors suddenly opened and Dr. Barts came rushing out, "What's the problem?"

Lex looked at him, "I understand that you are treating a boy named Clark Kent."

Dr. Barts raised an eyebrow and looked to the nurse at the desk. She shrugged and rolled her eyes. He looked back to Lex.

"I'm afraid that is none of your business."

Lex made a face, "my name is Lex Luthor, I am a friend of Clark's. I can help him."

Dr. Barts crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh?"

Lex nodded, "I have many contacts with some of the best medical professionals."

Dr. Barts pursed his lips in thought and nodded slightly. "Very well, follow me."

Lex smirked and followed Dr. Barts through the doors.

"Mr. Luthor…I know you may want to help but it may not be possible." Dr. Barts told him.

"And why not?"

"Doctor / patient confidentiality." Dr.Barts answered. "I cannot reveal information to just anybody."

"But I'm not just anybody, doctor."

Dr. Barts looked at him seriously. "Mr. Luthor, you may be a millionaire but that doesn't give you specific rights such as this." They stopped in front of the Kent's room.

Jonathan saw Dr. Barts coming back towards the room and also noticed that he had a guest. An unwanted guest. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the door. "Dr. Barts." He called.

Dr. Barts and Lex looked to Jonathan.

"Can I speak to you a moment. Alone please?" He shot a glare at Lex and Dr. Barts nodded and walked into the room, closing the door.

"I do not trust him." Jonathan motioned towards Lex. "Never have I ever or will I ever trust a Luthor. I don't care what he says he is not going to know Clark's secret."

Dr. Barts nodded. "I understand Mr. Kent, I would never tell anyone, and it violates doctor / patient confidentiality if I did."

Jonathan nodded, "I just wanted to make it clear."

"It is crystal clear." Dr. Barts said.

He opened the door once again and both Jonathan and Dr. Barts walked out.

"Mr. Kent…" Lex started.

"Lex." Jonathan cut him off, "I would appreciate it if you would leave."

"Mr. Kent, I am trying to help."

"I never asked for your help."

"Mr. Kent, I can contact any medical professional you would like."

Jonathan shook his head, "We don't need your help Lex."

Lex took a few steps forward, "You aren't the only one who cares about Clark. He is my friend and I want to help him."

But Jonathan wouldn't back down. "No Lex."

Lex's eyes narrowed, "You're going to run the risk of your only son dying because you don't like my family?" He didn't give Jonathan time to answer. "I am a man of my own now, Mr. Kent. I am 22 years old, I make my own decisions."

"Yeah, and one of those decisions was hitting my son at 60 miles per hour."

"That was an accident Mr. Kent. I made a careless mistake and I said I was sorry. Clark saved my life back then and now I want to save his."

"I don't want your help because you think you owe us something." Jonathan shot at him.

"That's not why I'm trying to help." Lex came back with. "Like I said, I want to help because Clark is my friend and I do not want to see him die."

"Jonathan!"

Jonathan turned and saw Martha standing in the doorway. He looked at Lex quickly and then went back into the room. "Martha?"

Martha gave him a pleading look, "Jonathan, he's trying to help."

Jonathan shook his head, "He's a Luthor Martha. I can't trust him."

"This is our son, Jonathan, please. Let it go."

Jonathan sighed, "I can't." He shook his head again. "I can't."

"If you don't want me involved directly I will just give you money." Lex said.

Jonathan turned not realizing he had left the door open and took a glance at Martha. Her eyes pleaded with him. He closed his eyes, sighed, opened them and looked at Lex.

"Lex I will not accept your money." He said quietly but sternly.

Lex wouldn't listen though. He took his check book and took out a pen. "How much would you need?"

Jonathan reached out and clasped a hand over the checkbook, "I'm not taking your money."

Lex narrowed his eyes and tore his hands away. He silently wrote a check for ten thousand dollars. He ripped the check out of his checkbook and stared at Jonathan but handed the check to Dr. Barts. "I made the check out to Smallville Medical Center, do whatever you want with it."

He looked at Martha, "I wish you the best of luck and I hope he makes it."

Martha nodded and bit her lip lightly, "Thank you Lex."

Lex nodded in response and without another word headed down the hall.


	13. Chapter 13

Chloe saw Lex walk out of the doors he walked through only minutes ago. And he didn't look pleased. He didn't look at anyone or anything as he walked out of the hospital.

Chloe sniffed and furrowed her brow in confusion. What happened?

Soon Martha came out of the doors and spotted Chloe staring at the entrance. She walked over to her slowly, "Chloe?" she called out softly.

Chloe lifted her head and immediately rose to her feet. "Mrs. Kent, how's Clark?"

Martha's downcast look answered it all.

Chloe bit her lip and tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Come on, I'll tell you more about it."

Chloe nodded and followed Martha through the doors and down the hallway.

"You've never seen Clark's reaction to Kryptonite have you?" Martha asked her.

"I know it weakens him but no, I have never seen him when he's near it."

"It does more than just weaken him Chloe, it cause him pain. He is usually on the ground, curled up in pain. If he's around it for too long…it is fatal to him." Martha explained.

"Fatal?" Chloe echoed with a touch of horror in her voice. "B...But there's no Kryptonite near him now is there?"

Martha couldn't look the girl in the eyes and she just sighed, "It's in his bloodstream." She choked out.

Chloe's eyes widened as they stopped in front of Clark's room. "Is there anything they can do to remove it?"

"They have no idea. Clark's body could function different than ours."

"And Lex couldn't do anything to help?" Chloe asked.

Martha shook her head, "Jonathan didn't want his help."

Chloe made a face and turned her head and looked into the room. She saw Jonathan sitting near Clark's bed, his hand rested on Clark's forearm and his mouth was moving as he was apparently talking to his son. Chloe took a shuddering breath when she saw Clark's face. She had never seen him like this nor did she ever expect to. Even if he was human.

"Mrs. Kent?"

Chloe turned her head at the sound of another voice and saw a doctor standing there. Dr. Barts caught glimpse of Chloe, "Who is this?" he asked Martha.

"This is Chloe, Clark's girlfriend." Martha explained.

"And she knows….?"

Martha nodded, "She knows about Clark, yes."

Dr. Barts looked at Chloe and saw the distraught look on her face. Although he knew it was hard for her to see this it was probably worse for her to not know what was going on. "Alright." He said.

"I need to show you something that I found rather interesting. Can you get your husband for me?" Dr. Barts asked. Martha nodded and poked her head in the room. "Jonathan?"

Jonathan looked up and over to Martha.

"Come here, Dr. Barts wants to show us something."

Jonathan nodded and got up from his chair and walked over to them. "Dr. Barts?"

"Can you close the door for a minute please?"

Jonathan nodded and closed the door to the room and then looked back at the doctor in curiosity. "What's going on?"

Dr. Barts held up a vial of blood, "This is a sample of Clark's blood. I ran some more tests to see what I could do and I discovered something very interesting."

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"Watch." He held the vial of blood in one hand and took out a meteor rock with the other. As soon as the meteor rock got close to the vial, the rock glowed green and the blood started to bubble inside the vial.

Jonathan, Martha and Chloe all stared at it in astonishment.

"Its…It's boiling!"

Dr. Barts nodded. "This is what happens inside of Clark's body every time he gets near a meteor rock."

Chloe gasped quietly. So that's why it hurt so much for him. It must be torture for him!

"Is Clark in pain now?" Jonathan asked.

"It's hard to tell. He could be and not be able to show it or he might not be. But since the meteor rock is in his bloodstream I would think that it is hurting him."

"Have you come up with anyway to try and get it out of his system?" Martha asked hopefully.

Dr. Barts shook his head, "I'm afraid not. But I promise you I will keep searching."

Martha nodded quietly.

"Thank you." Jonathan said. Dr. Barts smiled sadly and nodded and then left them.

Martha sighed heavily and Jonathan wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him and he kissed her forehead. She locked eyes with him for a moment and then glanced over to Chloe who was now looking into the glass window. Jonathan followed her gaze and saw it too. Chloe was the only person who cared for Clark almost as much as they did.

They nodded to each other in silent agreement.

"Chloe."

Chloe turned her head and looked at Jonathan.

"You can go in if you'd like. We'll give you some time alone with him."

Chloe almost smiled and she walked over to Clark's parents and gave them both a hug. They were the only two people who felt more miserable than she did and she wanted to let them know she was right along with them. And that hug said that and so much more; she would never leave, nor abandon hope.

She opened the door to Clark's room and stepped in. She closed the door behind her slowly and stared at Clark in the bed. For a time she found her self not being able to move from her spot. The room was eerily quiet except for the beep from the machines he was hooked up to. Looking across the room she couldn't believe this was actually happening. She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed her fists at her sides. 'This is all a dream Chloe…you're going to wake up anytime now and Clark will be just fine.'

But when she opened her eyes again she knew she had to face the cold reality. This was really happening, Clark was dying. At that thought, new tears stung her eyes and she didn't try to stop them from falling.

She finally willed her self to move forward and step by step, she approached Clark's bed. She finally reached the side of his bed and slowly sat down in the chair. She swallowed as she looked at him. "Hi Clark." She squeaked and then sobbed.

"You know…" she started softly. "They say that sometimes when people are…" She cleared her throat and let out a breath. "…that they can hear you. I hope you can hear me Clark."

She reached over and took his hand and found it to be unusually cold. But she held on anyway.

"I know I've told you this a million times already but I love you. I really, really love you. It's not a crush or infatuation anymore. At first it was, when I first met you, you were cute and sweet and I couldn't resist developing a crush for you especially when I kissed you and you didn't turn me away. And like all the other crushes I've had I expected it to go away once I got to know you better but it only grew. And I denied it to everyone, sometimes to even myself. But everyone always knew. Except you that is. You were completely oblivious to my feelings and that's why I wanted to hide them. I didn't want to be embarrassed if you didn't like me in return and I didn't want our friendship to be awkward either. So I kept my feelings to myself hoping that one day you would reciprocate my feelings. And you did. And now I couldn't picture my life without you Clark." She moved her thumb against his hand lightly.

"Seeing you like this scares me. Really, truly scares me. I might get surprised often or just a bit frightened sometimes but now I'm scared. And you're not here to protect me."

She looked at his still face and longed to see his blue eyes staring back at her. "I'm trying to be strong for you Clark. I know you wouldn't want me moping around. But without you I feel so helpless. You're hurt and I can't do anything about it. You have to be strong Clark, you can't give up. The doctors are trying the best they can but you have to stay with us. Don't slip away. You're destined for great things Clark, I just know it. You can't leave us. The world needs you."

()()()()()()()()

A door closed. The hallway in front of him was dark and deserted. All the way on the other side of the hallway and a small light flooded out from under a door. He walked down the dark hallway towards the light.

He took out a key from his pocket and put it into the door and opened it. Inside the room was a dimly lit room with a desk and a chair that was facing backwards.

He lowered the hood on his head. The man was in his early 40's, with short brown hair and brown eyes. His face was emotionless and cold as he stared at the back of the chair

"The deed is done sir."

The chair slowly turned around revealing a slightly older man. "Where is the boy?"

"What do you mean where is the boy? He's where I left him."

The older man leaned forward in his seat, "I told you to bring him to me."

"You didn't…"

"I gave you specific instructions to bring the boy to back to me!"

"You told me to get rid of the boy in any means necessary you said nothing about bringing him back. I did what you asked, the boy is dead."

The older man slammed his fist against the table. "Damnit Hayes! What exactly did you do with the body?"

"I left him in an alley." Hayes responded.

"An alley?!" he exclaimed. "Where people can find him?!"

"I assure you he is as good as dead and I didn't make any noise so no one could have found him on time. And no one will be able to connect his murder to us." The older man glared at him. "To you."

He growled. "I wanted that boy, Hayes!"

"What's so special about him anyways? What makes him different than any other meteor freak in this town?"

The older man smiled evilly and chuckled. "Oh Hayes, this is not any meteor freak. Oh no, he's much different." The man rose from his seat slowly. "Do you know how much money people would pay to have their hands on an alien's body?"

Hayes lifted his brow, "An alien?"

"Oh yes. An alien. An extra terrestrial right here in Kansas."

"A lot?" Hayes answered his question from before.

He nodded, "A lot. That's why I need him."

"Well it's a little too late now."

He narrowed his eyes. "It is never too late. Go…go out there and bring me back that boy."

"But that would be returning to the scene of the crime. It just calls being caught."

The older man shook his head and lowered himself back down into his chair. "Some things are just worth that risk."


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Hey Everybody!! Sorry for the lateness I have had soooo much writers block!! But here you are!! So Read and Review!!**_

* * *

Martha Kent sat in the chair next to Clark's bed. Jonathan had went and brought Chloe home much to her distaste. Jonathan insisted that she go home and rest and the next day, first thing in the morning she could come back to visit Clark. She reluctantly agreed.

Martha was glad to have some time alone with her son though. Her tears had finally subsided but that was because she felt like nothing more would come out. She glanced at Clark. He had only been in the hospital for a few hours and he only seemed to be getting worse. His face was paler and he looked so lifeless just laying there.

She ran her hand through her hair. She couldn't believe this was happening. In all the worst case scenarios she pictured about what would happen to Clark; this was never one of them. One of the only things she never had to worry about with Clark was that he would never get sick or never get hurt. But apparently she did have to worry.

As she watched her only son lying there on that hospital bed, attached to many wires, she couldn't help but reminisce on his younger years.

"_Mommy, look at me!" _

_Martha turned and saw her five year old son standing on top of the stairs, a pair of red underwear over his blue pajamas and a red pillow case tied around his neck. _

"_Clark Kent, what are you wearing?" She asked with a smile. _

_Clark came whizzing down the stairs his arms out in front of him. "It's my costume, mommy!" He jumped off the bottom stop and landed right in front of her. "And my name is not Clark Kent." _

"_No? Then what is it?" _

_Clark scrunched up his face in thought and then shook his head. "It's a secret." _

"_A secret? You can't tell me your mommy what it is?" _

_Clark shook his head again and ran past his mother his arms out in front of him and making zooming noises. Martha grinned and watched as Clark "zoomed" around the living room. _

_She turned her head as she heard the door open behind her. Jonathan walked in and smiled at her and then smiled even further at the sight of their son running around with his underwear over his pants. He shot a questioning look her. _

"_Our son is a superhero, Jonathan." She explained._

"_He is? Oh really?" _

_Clark stopped only for a moment at the sound of his father's voice and then took off again straight towards Jonathan. "Daddy, make me fly!" He jumped into Jonathan's arms. Jonathan caught his son in his arms and lifted him into the air and spun him around. Clark laughed and Jonathan and Martha couldn't help but laugh along. _

Martha smiled sadly. "Everyday for a week you would dress up in that costume." She told her unconscious son. "You never told me your name. But you would always say that Clark wasn't your name. But eventually you got bored of that."

"One of your favorite hobbies was chasing the chickens." She said with a smile.

_Martha walked out the back door and looked around the farm. Clark had seemed to disappear again. "Clark? Honey, where are you?" She called out. She listened. No answer. "Clark?!" _

_Jonathan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Can't find Clark?" _

_She sighed, "Again. Just last year he was so clingy to us now he just runs off, he could be getting into all sorts of trouble." _

_Jonathan chuckled, "He's five Martha he's probably looking at the cattle or something. Don't worry about it."_

"_Jonathan he's different, what if he slips and lifts something a five year old is not supposed to lift or runs faster than a five year old can run and someone sees him?" _

"_Martha I doubt he would go further then our lawn and no one is around." He kissed the top of her head. "But I will go look for him." _

"_Thank you." She said. _

_He stepped out of the door and just at that time the chickens came running around the corner, squawking as loud as they could and behind them came Clark with his hands outstretched. The boy had a big smile on his face and was laughing as the chickens ran away from him. _

_Jonathan watched in amusement and then turned to Martha, "See, there was nothing to worry about." _

_She smiled and nodded. "Aren't you going to do anything?" _

"_Clark's not going to hurt them. He's just having some innocent fun, if you grow up on a farm there's the one guarantee that at least once you're going to chase the chickens." _

_She chuckled and shook her head, "Oh you farm boys." _

_Jonathan grinned and turned back to watch Clark chase the chickens. The chickens ran all around the yard and Clark wouldn't stop. In fact as the chickens kept on running he kept getting more fun out of it. The chickens ran toward the house and then made a sharp turn to the right. Clark stopped only for a second at Martha and Jonathan's feet. "Mommy, the chickens are silly!" _

_Martha had to agree. "Yes they are." _

_Clark laughed and took off after the chickens again and disappeared behind the house. _

"You loved the chickens. In fact you were so fascinated with everything. I suppose every little kid is. You would always ask 'Mommy what's that?' to even the simplest things. But you especially loved birds. Whenever a bird flew over head you would look at it until it disappeared from sight or you would get all excited when you saw a duck. You asked me, 'Why do they make that funny sound?' And I told you that was how they talked to other ducks. And you said… 'Well they talk weird.'" She half sobbed and half laughed.

"Clark, I couldn't have asked for a better son. I want you to know, even though you probably can't hear me, that I love you so much. From the moment I saw you, I never loved anything so much as you. If I ever had to go through what your biological parents did…I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I could give you up. But I thank my lucky stars everyday that they did."

* * *

Malcolm Hayes trudged down main street, Smallville with his hands shoved in his pockets. He had his hood over his head and with his skill and practice; he was able to not look suspicious.

He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was in a messy place when the boss found him. He grew up in a poor neighborhood in Metropolis. His mother descended down from a poor family. His father once owned a huge business but the business went bankrupt and he lost every thing. His father eventually started to rob food stores and restaurants just to keep his family alive. He learned to be very sneaky in his craft and for years he never got caught. Then when Malcolm was 13 his father wasn't quite fast enough. The store owner had the police on stand by and as soon as he was seen the police went into action. They tried to stop him the easy way and just send him to jail but his father just kept running and wouldn't stop and he was shot down like a dog.

After that his mother went into a depression and his two older siblings had to raise him and his younger sister, Mattie. Mattie was a year and a half younger than he was and he was very close to her.

In his senior year in high school, he got into a fight for hitting on some guy's girl. Mattie was always the tough one, always thinking she could defeat anyone. And so she came to his rescue. The guy and his friends started to poke fun at him for needing a girl to protect him. Before he could react to it, Mattie attacked the guy. The teachers broke up the fight before anything got too messy though. But the guy wasn't finished, he wanted revenge.

As Malcolm and Mattie walked home through the streets, Mattie was jumped. Malcolm tried to fight the gang off but he was punched to the ground and the last thing he remembered was a gun shot and Mattie's scream.

He lost his best friend that day. That's what turned him over to the dark side. His two older brothers, Sean and Peter, who were now 24 and 26, tried to calm him down but it was no use. Malcolm Hayes was corrupted.

Malcolm barely made it through to the end of high school. He just passed for the end of the year and graduated. After high School he went off on his own and started working for many different crime gangs in Metropolis. He did that for ten years until he met the girl of his dreams. A short brunette by the name of Michelle Taylor.

She was walking down the streets completely minding her own business when a man of his own gang had his lustful eyes on her. Malcolm watched silently as the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the alley. She started to let out a scream but he covered her mouth. He started to feel her up right then and the look of horror in her perfect chocolate brown eyes just called out to Malcolm. He ran out of his dark corner of the alley across the street. As soon as he approached both the eyes of Michelle and his fellow gang member landed on him. "Mal…" Before the guy could form his name Malcolm pushed him off of her and Michelle fell right into his arms. He peeked over her shoulder and saw the guy on the floor unconscious. He looked down at Michelle and she looked up at him. He felt his heart leap when her eyes locked with his. The look in her eyes transformed from horror to relief. He helped her to her feet and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. "Thank you." Her voice came out softly but it was soft and melodic and music to his ears. He couldn't help but smile, "You're welcome." "I'm Michelle." She announced. "Malcolm." He replied. She smiled up at him and from that moment on, he told himself, he was going to be a changed man. He abruptly quit the gang and with Michelle's help got a semi-proper job.

It turned out that Michelle's family owned a restaurant in Granville and he got a job as a kitchen boy. He was lucky enough to have Michelle's family take to him immediately. And he wasn't complaining, he got to spend more time with Michelle that way. As time passed he and Michelle only grew close and his success started to grow. And after about six years he worked his way up to co-assistant manager with Michelle.

And then one sunny afternoon, on one of their breaks, Malcolm took Michelle out on a picnic and proposed marriage. She immediately said yes. That was the happiest time in Malcolm's life and for him things seemed to be only looking up.

That is until two years later. It was about a week before their wedding date and Michelle had to go into Metropolis to take care of some business. The leader of Malcolm's old gang wanted revenge on Malcolm for deserting them. And what better way than to go for the thing, or person, he loved the most. He sent the man that attacked her eight years ago after her.

The man followed her until she was alone. And once she was, he pulled her into an alleyway. She tried to fight back but he was too strong for her.

He had explicit orders from the boss: "Kill her…show Malcolm Hayes what it means to defy me."

He threw Michelle to the ground, did what he wanted with her and then obeyed the orders of the boss.

When Malcolm received word that his fiancé was dead and not only that but was killed by his old gang, it was that thing to really push him over the edge. Michelle's parents had found out that he was in that old gang and blamed him for Michelle's death and so they fired him from his job at the restaurant. In a blind rage, Malcolm was driven to Metropolis, he bought a gun, and went on a shooting spree and killed every last member of his old gang.

He found an old abandoned warehouse and there he mourned the loss of his beloved Michelle.

He had turned into his father; relying on thieving in order to survive. He did this for years until he was found by Gary P. Jensen. Mr. Jensen asked Malcolm for his help in a very special project. At first Malcolm was reluctant to accept Mr. Jensen's offer but eventually decided to accept.

Mr. Jensen, he soon came to know, also loved in Granville. And coming back to Michelle's hometown only made things worse. But to Malcolm's relief, Mr. Jensen said they would be spending most of their time in Smallville. "Strange things happen in that town Hayes, and it's about damn time I figure out why."

So Malcolm was sent to investigate Smallville. He roamed around town, walking into buildings, sitting around in coffee houses, walking up and down the streets, just trying to find any indication of the cause of weirdness in the small town.

Then one day he decided to check out Smallville High School. He casually walked around the grounds, leaning up against trees and only spied normal teenage human behavior. He walked around behind the school and lowered himself behind a bush. And that's when he first saw it. A dark haired teenage boy appeared out of nowhere with a blonde girl in his arms. Malcolm blinked and rubbed his eyes to see if he was seeing things.

"Well, I still want to see that strength of yours." Said the blonde.

The boy chuckled, "Well let's put it this way…When I was three I could lift the back end of my Dad's truck single handed."

He soon learned that the boy's name was Clark Kent and that he has special abilities beyond any compare.

It was Mr. Jensen who came up with the idea that the meteor rocks had a different effect on the Kent boy. So Mr. Jensen had a knife made of the green substance and ordered Malcolm to kill him.

And that's how he ended up here; on this lonely road in Smallville in the middle of the night. He approached the Talon and saw the place was dark which meant no one was there. Good. He turned into the alleyway where the murder had taken place and looked around. The only thing he saw was a blood stained jacket and a blood stain on the concrete. Hayes let out a sigh.

'The boss is not going to be happy about this.'

* * *

Martha hadn't left Clark's side for hours. Jonathan had returned but with Chloe at his side. She had managed to convince Jonathan to let her stay with them at the hospital. And when they got back Jonathan noticed that Martha wouldn't seem to budge from her spot and decided to leave her be for a little while longer and so he and Chloe just sat outside the hospital room.

Martha was growing weary and let her head fall gently to the pillow besides Clark while still keeping an eye on him. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open and once she closed her eyes, she felt Clark's head move beside her. She immediately snapped up and watched him carefully.

His eyes fluttered for a few moments and then his eyelids rose revealing his eyes. "Clark." She whispered in relief and joy.

His head slowly turned to her and he stared at her with clouded, confused eyes like he didn't know who she was.

"Clark, honey, can you hear me?" She placed her hand on his arm.

All he did was stare at her and occasionally blink.

"Clark?" She pressed again.

He did nothing for a few moments and then Martha watched in horror as his head fell to the side, his eyes closed and the beeping on his heart monitor came in slower and further apart.

"Help…" The first one came out as a whisper. "Help!" This one came out more of a squeak. "Help, somebody please!" She called out loudly.

Jonathan and Chloe rushed in along with nurses behind them. The nurses pushed past Jonathan and Chloe and ran to help Clark. Martha stood against the wall her hands covering her mouth as she watched the nurses rapidly tried to stabilize Clark.

She sobbed quietly, trying not to distract even herself from what was going on around her. She wanted, needed to hear every last detail about what was happening and what they had to do to her son.

Jonathan wasn't sure what was going on when he came into the room and he still wasn't sure now. All he knew was that Martha was very upset by it which only made him worry about his son.

Medical terms flew across the air and nurses ran in and out of the room. It seemed that everything they tried had failed and despite all the noise and commotion, Jonathan could hear his son's heart rate slowly decreasing by the minute. He tried not to show his panic, as he could now see that Chloe was near hysterics and he was the person who needed to be strong.

Then out of nowhere the noise in the room slowly subsided and the heart monitor had returned to its normal pace. The nurses made some last minute adjustments and then left the room one by one leaving Martha, Jonathan and Chloe rooted into place.

Dr. Barts entered the room shortly after carrying a chart. "Mr. Kent?"

Jonathan regained his composure and looked at Dr. Barts. "Doctor, what happened? is Clark alright?"

Dr. Barts then chose his words carefully, "He…he has a high fever, Mr. Kent. We were able to get his heart back to its normal pace but I fear that the meteor rock in his blood stream is starting to affect him."

"He was awake." Martha voiced suddenly and they all turned to her. "He was awake but not for long."

Dr. Barts nodded. "That might be his body trying to fight back. And the strain was too much for him and he started to crash. Now with the fever it only seems to be getting worse. He is showing signs of Severe Poisoning but in his case this could be worse than Severe Poisoning."

Martha couldn't help but let out a sob as she slowly sank to the ground.

Jonathan turned to Chloe and saw that she was shaking and tears were streaming down her cheeks. A 16 year old girl should not have witnessed that especially to someone she cared deeply about.

"Chloe…I'm taking you home." Jonathan stated firmly.

Chloe glanced up at him and didn't protest. He put his arm around her and led her out of the room and only then did her sobs start to begin.

Dr. Barts approached Martha and kneeled down in front of her. "Mrs. Kent, I am doing the best I can to try and figure out what we can do for Clark. I promise you, I will not give up hope."

Martha nodded, "Thank you Doctor." She choked out. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

"I don't care what he is Mrs. Kent. He is your son, he is that young girl's boyfriend, and I can tell that he has done great things."

"Clark is a wonderful boy." She agreed. "He always puts other people in front of himself and all he wants to do is help people, he thinks it's his job." She wiped at her eyes.

"I won't let him slip away from you." He knew that doctors didn't say that. Doctors couldn't say that because there was no guarantee that their patient would live and they would give the family false hope. But Clark was a special boy. And whatever he had to do, he would do it, to see that boy live.

She smiled gratefully at him and he rose to his feet. "Meanwhile I gave him something to help bring his fever down I don't know if it'll work for him though."

Martha nodded. "Thank you."

He nodded at her and then left the room.

She slowly stood and went back to sit at Clark's side. "Oh Clark." She brushed the hair off his forehead lightly and felt that his head was burning. "Who would do this to you?"

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Sorry I didn't update in a while I had writers block and I had inspiration for my other fanfictions so I spent more time on those instead of working on this one! And then I went on vacation for 5 days so I couldn't work on it then. So I hope you forgive me for the long wait and hope this chapter makes up for it!!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville!! **_

* * *

Chloe walked through the doors of Smallville high clutching her books to her. Her normal cheery disposition was replaced with a more solemn look. She looked around her and noticed that everyone was carrying on with their normal lives and couldn't understand how when it felt like her world had come crashing down on her.

Almost three days had passed since Clark was admitted to the hospital and although there were no other horrible scares he didn't seem to be doing any better. She visited him everyday and everyday he looked the same: like he was hanging on the brink of death.

She wondered if this was like what Clark was feeling when she was in the hospital. Right now, she wished more than anything, that she would turn the corner and Clark would be standing there waiting for her. He would either be talking to Pete, or Lana or another student and when he saw her he would look over to her and grin. He would excuse himself from whoever he was talking to and walk over to her, kiss her then wrap his arm around her and ask her how she was.

But as she turned the corner all she saw was another crowded hallway. She knew she was fooling herself to think that Clark would be there. She had just talked to Mrs. Kent before she left for school to see how Clark was doing.

"Hey Chloe."

Chloe lifted her head and saw Pete standing there. She put on a fake smile. "Pete hey." Her voice cracked with emotion. Pete didn't know about what had happened to Clark. No one wanted to talk about it.

"Chloe are you ok?" Pete asked with concern.

She nodded, "I'll be fine."

He gave her a skeptical look but let it go for now. "Where's Clark?"

She swallowed hard to try and fight back the tears she felt coming. But it was no avail, Pete noticed it right away. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"

Chloe shook her head vigorously. "No Pete he didn't hurt me." She took a breath. "He's in the hospital."

Pete's eyes widened, "Wait a minute. Are we talking about the same Clark here?"

Chloe nodded. "We are." She motioned for him to come closer. "He was stabbed with a kryptonite laced knife."

"Oh my God…" Pete muttered. "Is he ok?"

"He almost died the other night Pete. He's got traces of the meteor rock in his blood stream." She couldn't hold it in any longer and let a tear roll down her cheek. "I've seen what it does to him Pete." She whispered.

"The meteor rocks?"

She nodded softly, "What it does to his blood. Why when it gets around him he hurts so much and why it is fatal to him."

"What does it do?"

"Remember in Lab last week how we set the Bunsen burner too high and the water started to boil like crazy?"

Pete looked confused, "Yes…but what does that have to do with any-?"

"That's what happens to his blood when a meteor rock is near him." Chloe cut him off.

"It…boils?"

"Throughout his whole body."

Pete's jaw dropped. "Man…that must really hurt."

"And now it's inside him Pete. And the doctors don't know how to get it out of him." Her voice cracked with emotion and Pete took her into a hug. "He's dying." She muttered holding onto Pete.

Pete held Chloe there and just let her cry. If he wasn't in public he might have started to cry as well. He knew Clark since they were kids, Clark was like his brother and he was…dying.

They stayed that way until the warning bell rang. Chloe backed away from Pete wiping her eyes and sniffling. "Thanks Pete."

All he could do was nod he knew that if he started to talk he would start to get emotional. Chloe turned and headed towards her first period class.

On the way there, one of the girls she occasionally would talk to her approached her. "Chloe, what's the matter?"

Chloe looked up and put on a fake smile. "Nothing." Although it was plainly obvious that something was wrong. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were tear stains on her cheeks.

Michelle looked over Chloe quietly. This was the one person she knew was always calm, cool, and collected. It took a lot for Chloe Sullivan to look like THIS. And she could only think of one thing that would make her act like this.

"Did something happen with Clark?"

Every time someone said his name all Chloe could picture was his helpless form lying in the hospital bed. She bit her lip and tried to force back more tears. As if she hadn't cried enough in the past few days.

"He's in the hospital." Chloe whispered.

"What happened?" Michelle gasped. She didn't know Clark very well but he seemed nice enough and she didn't want anyone in the hospital.

Why must everyone ask this question? Chloe asked herself hating the fact that she not only had to witness it but tell everyone about it. The cons of being a reporter…

"He was stabbed….in the chest…near his heart." Her voice cracked at the last word.

Michelle's jaw dropped. "Oh my…" Poor Chloe… "Is he going to be alright?"

Chloe swallowed hard. This was another question she hated answering. "The odds aren't in his favor."

Michelle realized Chloe was having a difficult time with this and she decided to drop the subject. But not before saying, "I'm sorry."

"I mean what is wrong with people!" Chloe cried suddenly and Michelle was taken aback by her outburst. "Clark has done nothing wrong, nothing to hurt ANYONE and yet he's the one dying in a hospital bed while the horrible person that did this is out there probably having the time of his life!"

"Chloe I doubt someone murders or attempts to murder someone and then goes out and parties."

Chloe clenched her jaw. "This is Smallville, people are crazy."

Michelle smiled lightly, "That's what we've got you for. You are our official Smallville mystery solver and if anyone can solve this mystery it's you."

Chloe sighed, "I'm not sure if I can do anything right now. My mind is in such a haze."

"Come on, I'll help you."

"I don't have any clues." Chloe said. "There was nothing in the alley where his attempted murder took place or anything surrounding the Talon. I didn't hear anything; Lana didn't either or anyone else around. Whoever this guy is he's good."

"Hey, you're Chloe Sullivan you'll think of something." Michelle assured her and Chloe only nodded biting her lip lightly.

* * *

Three Days Earlier:

"WHAT?!"

Hayes cringed when Mr. Jensen slammed his fist down on the table. He had reluctantly returned to his office and told him that the boy was no longer there.

"You really expected someone to not find him. He does have a girlfriend you know."

Mr. Jensen shot a glare at him. "Don't be witty Hayes."

Hayes resisted the feeling to roll his eyes. "Sir, his family probably took him to the hospital."

Mr. Jensen clenched his jaw, fire burning in his eyes and Malcolm feared he was going to explode at any minute. He braced himself for the verbal beating he was about to receive when all of a sudden his gaze softened and it turned into a mischievous look.

"What are you thinking sir?"

Mr. Jensen rose from his seat slowly. "He's in the hospital eh?"

Malcolm narrowed his eyes slightly. "I would assume so."

Mr. Jensen turned to look at him. "That means the hospital has records on him."

Malcolm didn't see where this was leading to. "Yes…"

"His blood type, what his body can or cannot handle, and they probably even have a blood sample."

Malcolm was finally staring to realize what he was trying to get at it. But still he had to ask. "Sir?"

Jensen's lips curved into a Cheshire grin. "You are going to steal his file for me, Hayes."

"Sir, hospital security is tight…"

Mr. Jensen looked at him darkly. "Well if you think you can't do it…."

Malcolm shut his mouth and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can do it."

"That's what I thought." Mr. Jensen walked around his desk and over to Hayes. He clamped his hand on his shoulder and smirked. "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

* * *

Present day:

Chloe sat in front of the Wall of Weird staring at it intensely. After school had ended, she and Michelle had come straight to the Torch office after school.

Michelle was sitting in front of Chloe's computer going through all her files. "Isn't there anyone you could think of that might have a grudge against Clark?" Michelle asked not finding anything on the computer.

Chloe scanned the Wall of Weird looking at all the meteor freaks she had heard about in the past year or so. "Only the meteor freaks." She said softly. "And they're all in Belle Reeve and they wouldn't use something as simple as a knife to kill someone." She concluded. She sighed and whirled around in her chair looking at Michelle who looked just as hopeless as Chloe did.

"Maybe someone from when he was a kid?" Michelle offered. "You did only move here in the 8th grade."

She shook her head lightly. "I talked to Pete, he and Clark were friends since pre-kindergarten and he didn't say anything about anyone hating Clark. At least not enough to kill him."

"Well like you said this is Smallville. Anything could happen."

"Whoever did this doesn't necessarily have to be from Smallville. They could live in Granville or even Metropolis." Chloe said.

"Well Clark is a pretty homey guy. Why would someone from Granville or Metropolis know him and want to kill him?"

Chloe sighed resting her head in her hands. "I don't know." She muttered. She looked up frustrated, "I'm so confused."

There was a knock on the door and both girls turned their heads to see Lana at the door. She waved at them slightly giving them a small smile. "Hey."

Chloe sniffed sitting up throwing a small smile at Lana. "Hey Lana." She had finally gotten over the fact that Lana was Clark's ex-love interest and realized that Clark would never leave her for Lana. And she started to see Lana as a friend now.

Lana walked in slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find out who tried to murder Clark." Michelle replied.

"You find anything?" Lana asked curiously.

Chloe shook her head, "Unfortunately. I have no clues."

"You know…" Lana mused thoughtfully. "I did see someone looming around the Talon right before Clark was attacked."

Chloe gaped, "And you didn't feel inclined to mention this before?"

Lana made an apologetic face and shrugged innocently. Chloe groaned.

"Well I didn't think much of it at the time. It just looked like a homeless person to me. But he did go in the alley that Clark was attacked in and I never saw him come out."

"Did you get a glimpse of what he looked like?" Michelle asked.

Lana thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, his face was covered."

Chloe sighed and rested back in her chair. "Another dead end."

Lana sat on the nearest chair letting out a breath. Since Clark's attack she had been feeling guilty. This would have never happened if she hadn't asked him to take out the garbage. She had been too lazy to do it herself and threw the chore off to her friend who in result is now in the hospital dying. Why did she have to live in Smallville?

Just then a thought occurred to her and she practically jumped off her chair. Chloe and Michelle looked at her in shock.

"Security cameras!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe I forgot about that. The talon has security cameras on both inside and outside maybe we could get a glimpse of the attackers face!"

Chloe's face lit up. "Lana you are a genius!"

Lana smiled. "Come on! Let's go!"

* * *

The three girls sat in the upstairs apartment in the Talon. Lana found out that she had to contact Lex in order to get access to the Security Cameras. Chloe was not too fond of the idea but didn't say anything. She wanted, more than anything, to find out who had done this to Clark.

Once Lana showed up and requested the tapes Lex readily agreed. Chloe wondered if it was because Lana was the one who asked or because Lex wanted to learn more information on Clark's attacker. Although it seemed like that latter (actually Lex said that he would do anything he could do help Clark) Chloe sensed some attraction Lex had toward Lana. What was it with Lana that made every single guy on the planet fall for her? Or maybe she was over analyzing things and Lex DID just want to help.

When they got the files from the camera they transferred it to a DVD and brought it back to the Talon to watch it.

They turned it on and started playing it from Friday afternoon, a few hours before Clark's attack.

Just like Lana said a hooded man entered the picture. But also like Lana said you could not see his face. All you could see was the back of him. He paused a minute in the front of the alley, turned his head from side to side, then walked into the alley. After a few minutes of nothing happening they decided to change camera angles.

Now they could see the attacker huddled up behind some trash cans. They decided to fast forward a bit until around the time he was attacked. They stopped the tape and just after that Clark appeared out of nowhere with Chloe in his arms. Chloe felt her heart leap up in her chest and her eyes widen. 'Oh My God…Clark's abilities were captured on tape…Lex has access to these tapes…'

"What was that?" Lana asked staring at the screen her eyes wide, Michelle looking the exact same way.

"Yeah…he like came out of NOWHERE."

Chloe swallowed. "I…it must have been an effect from the camera." Chloe tried to cover for him. She was NOT going to give away his secret. And she was thankful that there was no audio. "I mean come on guys…It's Clark!"

Lana and Michelle stared skeptically for a moment and Chloe held her breath praying they would take that as an answer. And thankfully they did. Lana and Michelle turned back to the TV and Chloe let out a breath quietly closing her eyes.

After that there was no motion for a while and they decided to fast forward the tape again. For a few minutes all the tape showed were the dark alleyway and the occasional rat sneaking through the garbage can. Then they played it when the door opened and Clark walked out.

Chloe felt her heart pick up speed and all three girls knew what was coming.

On the screen, Clark placed the bags of trash in the trash can and took a step away and then paused. He cocked his head to the side as his face scrunched up in concentration. They saw the hooded man slowly rise from the trash cans holding a glowing green rock in his hand. He slowly started to approach Clark, removing the knife from his pocket. As the hooded man approached Clark from behind, Clark leaned against the trash can in attempt to hold himself up, the concentrated look on his face turning into a pained one. Clark turned around quickly and before he had time to react the man lunged forward and plunged the knife into his chest.

Chloe and Lana screamed while Michelle just covered her mouth. They could only see the side of Clark's face but they saw that it had looked shocked and pained. Clark closed his eyes tightly and fell to his knees as the attacker removed the knife.

"There!" Michelle pointed out as she paused the tape. The attackers face was somewhat visible as his hood had fallen off his head.

Chloe quickly calmed herself down and rushed over to the TV. She studied the man and could barely make out his face. "I could probably clear this up at the Talon office and then run his picture through the internet."

"Let's see if there's anything more." Michelle said and before Chloe could protest she pressed play.

Clark then fell to the ground, the blood soaking his shirt and the attacker looked around, shoved the knife back into his pocket and ran out the alleyway. But there were no more good shots of his face.

Chloe felt she couldn't watch anymore and stopped the tape. She took the DVD out of the DVD player. "I'll run this back to the Torch and see what I can pull out of it."

She looked over to Lana who still looked shocked and upset. "Lana, you ok?"

Lana looked over to her, her eyes wide. "Yea…" She muttered quietly. "I'll be fine."

If Chloe wasn't so determined to find this guy, she probably would have been in Lana's position but she had to do this. "Michelle, get her a glass of water or something. I'll let you know if I find anything."

Michelle nodded and started to head over to Lana to help her up and Chloe left the Talon and headed towards the Torch.

* * *

_**A/N: Well they are now a step closer to figure out who is behind Clark's attempted murder but Mr. Jensen's got more up his sleeve!! **_

_**I hope you enjoyed this and please review! Oh and Michelle, Chloe's friend has no relation to Malcolm's Michelle…I just happen to have that name in my head I have NO idea why. **_


End file.
